


Days of Summer

by grains_of_saturn



Category: Final Fantasy XV
Genre: Bingo, Challenge fic, FFFC summer minibingo, Fluff, Light Angst, M/M, Pre-Game(s), Spoilers, Summer
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-06-30
Updated: 2017-06-30
Packaged: 2018-11-21 15:49:17
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 31,108
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11360604
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/grains_of_saturn/pseuds/grains_of_saturn
Summary: Nine times Prompto and Noctis spent together during the shared summers of their schooldays.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Written for the FFFC June 2017 summer minibingo, for the prompt "karaoke bar".

_M.E 751 ~ seventh month_

 

 

The initial flush of excitement came with the date at which the school uniforms changed. Having just got used to the new landscape of high school, its rhythms and its expectations, the summer months threatened to overtake all with the heady sense of _anticipation_. Jackets were discarded, shirt buttons loosened, and all talk in the classroom started to drift towards that golden mark of the student's calendar: _the summer holiday._ It was inescapable; every plan made was one that looked forward, and even the academic workload was starting to gear up towards the dreaded _summer homework_. The stuffy air of the classroom became bearable only on the promise of escape - the possibility of a light outdoor breeze, the acquisition of cold drinks and icecream, _anything_. Like that, the days of the summer term slowly ticked to an end.

"... Hey, Prompto."

Sat with his back to the window and facing Noctis in a sidewards manner, Prompto held his necktie and shirt collar forth as he tried to fan some paltry kind of air movement in the direction of bare skin with a thin workbook. "What is it?"

"What do you--... _do_ , over the summer?"

Prompto held the workbook still, glancing upward in thought. "Uh..." A shrug. "Not much, really. Play videogames? Catch up on videogames. Sleep without setting an alarm. ...Man, that one's _so_ good. Sleep all day, stay up all night... that kind of thing. Why, what about you?"

"Fairly sure Ignis knows my summer schedule better than I do. Summer homework, combat training, further summer study, advanced combat training... you know, all those fun things."

"Yeah? Sounds tough. Guess just because it's the holiday, you don't get to take it easy, do you?"

"You'd think I could talk him into a couple of late mornings. Just a _couple_..." For a moment, there was a flicker of an expression on Noctis's expression that could have seemed somewhat troubled. He glanced down at his desk before looking back towards Prompto (who was too occupied with fanning himself to notice Noctis's indecision.) "Um--..."

"Mm?"

"--... We should make plans."

"Yeah? For what?"

"For the summer."

"Aren't you gonna be busy? With all of your, you know, _royal stuff_?"

Noctis shrugged, trying to give the impression that none of this was a particularly big deal. "I just thought that if I had some concrete plans, then maybe I'd get a little more space. If I said ' _hey how about I spend the day in bed_ ', there's no way Ignis would agree to that, but if it was ' _hey I want to spend the day with a friend_ ', then he might--... he might."

"I'm your excuse, huh?"

"N-no, I didn't mean it like that--! I just--... thought it might make a change, that's all. Isn't that what summer's meant to be all about? Doing things with friends, and--..." He lowered his voice slightly. "--... making memories, that sort of thing."

"I know, right? I don't have much experience with that, so, I dunno." Realizing that that statement sounded profoundly more depressing once it had left his mouth, Prompto smiled in an attempt to laugh it off, but Noctis only held an expression of vague apprehension.

"... I'm sure I won't be able to do anything before I get done with the summer homework, but... be ready for after that, okay?"

 

 -----

 

If anybody had asked Prompto what he'd spent the first week of his summer holiday doing, he wasn't sure he'd have been able to tell them. The sense of _freedom_ was so overwhelming, and it felt so good to just be able to do _nothing_. There lay no threat to his free time until the end of the break, and that felt so far away that it was almost unimaginable. He knew, in his heart of hearts, that he'd have to think of it eventually - that, and his homework - but for those first days, not having to do so was the greatest luxury of all.

The long days of leisure were punctuated by messages from Noctis. On the third day, Prompto received a photo of papers spread across a desk with a single-word caption - " _boring_ ". On the fifth, there came a selfie that didn't seem to have been taken by Noctis himself - the phone was held by someone Prompto didn't recognize, a wide grin on his face; Noctis looked less pleased, but the message alongside it only read " _training partner_ ". On the seventh day, there came no message, but Prompto looked at the calendar and realized that a full week had passed since he'd been at school - since _they'd_ been at school. He couldn't help but think of what Noctis had said, just before the break had started - _doing things with friends. Making memories_.

That was certainly the way things had always looked on television, at least. Shows and movies, full of friendship and adventure. That had never been Prompto's own experience, but he'd not thought much of it at the time; he'd return to school after the holiday, overhearing others in his class talk about what they'd spent their summer doing - but that made sense. Friends did things together during the holiday, didn't they? If you didn't have anybody to do those things with, it made sense that you wouldn't end up doing them. He'd never really questioned it; nobody would ask him what he'd spent _his_ summer doing, but that was fine, because he never spent it doing much. As much as he'd told Noctis, that time - sleeping, playing videogames, making sure he went out at least a _few_ times to take photographs of Insomnia's summer sights. He could easily chart his past summers through the albums of photographs he'd taken, but the thought of spending that time _with_ anybody? That was something that just hadn't felt possible, up to that point.

Of course, so had the thought of approaching others with the aim of making friends - it had taken him up to his first year of highschool to dare to do so, and the gamble had paid off; the first half of the academic year had had more time spent in contact with _a friend_ than Prompto had had up to that point - to think of it like _that_ was almost intimidating, but for the fact that Noctis seemed (surprisingly) to be in almost the same situation. Nobody had a bad word to speak of the prince in their midst, but Noctis's distant manner and sometimes-blunt manner of speaking had led to more of their peers speaking _about_ him than _to_ him. In a way, Prompto supposed that this had worked in his favor - who else was foolish enough to approach _the Crown Prince_ , after all? And yet, nothing bad had happened as a consequence. They ate their lunches together, spent time together after school, sent each other messages overnight and at weekends. _Friend things._

The summer holiday, however, was uncharted territory. Noctis was undoubtedly busy, but Prompto started to wonder - _should I be doing something about this? We should be doing stuff together. We should make plans. That was what Noct was talking about, wasn't it?_

Just thinking about it didn't bring any easy answers, though. Time after school was spent in the city near the school, going to the arcade, to fast food places - was it okay just to do that, again? _Making memories_ , Noctis had said. A week into the holiday, Prompto suddenly started feeling an uncertain sort of pressure; _we should be doing something, shouldn't we?... But what?_

That first weekend brought a message from Noctis that came unaccompanied by any sort of picture. Instead, it was a simple question: " _have you been to karaoke before?_ "

The first temptation was to lie. _Of course! I go all the time! When am I not at karaoke?!_ Prompto paused on the empty message screen, unable to word that thought. Karaoke, too, seemed to be one of those things that groups of friends did together. As such, he'd never really had much interest in it, but it didn't take much consideration to realize why it was that Noctis would be asking. Prompto knew that, with anybody else, the admission that he'd never been to karaoke would have been met with some form of surprise, but with Noctis? He wasn't sure.

" _nope! never been. you?_ "

" _I haven't._ " A few seconds later, another message. " _do you want to?_ "

Again, the question brought Prompto some level of pause. It wasn't that he'd never put on a song and ended up singing along, in the comfort of his own (otherwise empty) home, but singing in front of _other people_? Singing in front of _Noctis_?... Questions suddenly flooded Prompto's mind. _Can I sing? Can he sing? Do I know enough songs? What if the songs I like are weird?_ Even if it was just the two of them, that was still _different_ than--

Somehow, that one line of thought stuck in his thought process. It wasn't that they hadn't spent time together before - all their time at school, the arcade, all the usual afterschool hangouts - but compared to those, the thought of karaoke was something a little less usual. The part where neither of them had done it before, for one. Also the idle thought that it wasn't just 'going somewhere together', as much as it was 'going somewhere where they would be alone'. Alone _together_. And there was the other part of Prompto's mind that immediately shot that down with _you've been hanging around with him for, like, what, three months? That's way too soon to go weird on him. Way too soon._ But perhaps it was okay to frame it like that? Not to say anything, nothing that would make it _weird_ , but just... to appreciate it on a certain level. A level that involved them being alone, _together_ , in a room, _together_ , for a couple of hours. Maybe that was okay.

" _sure! sounds like fun! where should we go?_ " Prompto was vaguely aware of the buildings around the retail district of the city that advertised themselves as karaoke joints, but didn't know much about any of them. Maybe some were better than others? He didn't know. (He knew that that didn't mean that Noctis would know, either.)

" _leave it to me. I've been looking at some places. I'll send you the details later._ "

" _ok!_ " (Prompto put his phone to the side and switched on the television, comfortable in the thought that Noctis would be taking care of their plans.)

 

\-----

 

Having crossed the road, Prompto sighed gently to himself. Peering around, this didn't _look_ like the place, but--... moving to lean back against the nearest wall, he pulled out his phone to double-check the details. Again.

Shortly after their conversation, Noctis had sent him an address and a date. With the details now seemingly confirmed, Prompto hadn't thought much more on it - they had a place, they had a time, all that was left to do was to show up as promised. Easy. Prompto didn't know the named establishment itself, but it was an address that placed it firmly within the leisure district they were used to, so it felt like it wouldn't be all that difficult to locate. And that was what the internet was for, wasn't it? Maps and directions at the touch of a button. No problem.

Relying on technology had seemingly brought him to an area of the city largely dedicated to bars and restaurants; even looking into some of them from the outside made Prompto feel out of place. Definitely not the sorts of places that students usually spent their time. _Is there really a karaoke place around here?_ Prompto checked his phone again. He still had enough time, but he knew that he'd rather show up early than late. He'd thought that he'd be able to find the place easily, but that hadn't turned out to be the case - he scrolled through to Noctis's number, wondering if he should call, or send a message, or something. Just to say that he hadn't found the place yet, but it'd be totally okay, he'd totally be able to find it--!... or something. Prompto hadn't wanted to bother Noctis just for something like that, but knew that being late would only be a bother in a different way. Continuing to frown at his phone, he didn't notice the figure approaching him until his name was spoken.

"... Prompto Argentum?"

Prompto looked up in surprise; the fact that anybody was talking to him was strange enough, as was someone knowing his name...? Wide-eyed, it took him a couple of seconds to register what was happening. However, the man addressing him was familiar - even if they hadn't interacted too much one-on-one, Prompto had spent enough time around Noctis to know him on sight; the meeting was still unexpected, though, and so it still took Prompto a few moments to catch up with the situation.

"Eh!?--.. Oh, um--.. Ig... nis...?"

"That's right. I'm sorry, I just happened to witness your indecision for a little longer than, perhaps, I should have done. I thought coming to fetch you would probably be the kindest thing. If you'd like to follow me...?" He gestured a direction before beginning to walk.

"Uh, sure--...?" This, still, was a lot to take in. _Ignis is here? Maybe he was always gonna be here. Maybe Noctis asked him along, too. Is he... the kind of guy who would be into karaoke?_ From what little interaction they'd had up to that point, Ignis had always come across as very--... 'strict' seemed too harsh a word, but at the very least, Prompto found it hard to imagine him kicking back and letting loose with some songs. Even now, he was immaculate in the way that only a royal aide could be; smartly-dressed, not a hair out of place, guiding him along the pathway with an air of authority. "Um--... where--... where are we going?"

That question seemed to cause a smile - something Prompto wasn't too sure he'd seen before. Surprisingly, Ignis seemed to relax, just slightly. "I'm afraid there's been a light administrative error on behalf of our young Prince. Please try to be understanding with him; I think it may be something of a sore point at the moment."

"We're still... doing karaoke, right? I, I mean, that was what Noct sent me, after all. That is, we'd planned it--..."

"I believe that to be the case. Ah, here--... if you'd just take this door here--..." Ignis stopped, again, to indicate the door of a particular building; he went forward himself, then holding the door open by its handle in order to allow Prompto access. "Perhaps you'll be able to cheer him up."

The building itself was one that was not out of place at all amongst the establishments that surrounded it. The empty tables outside were perhaps explained by it being that mid-point between afternoon and evening, not quite late enough for those across Insomnia to be taking a place for their evening meal. Large windows of dark glass served as a backdrop to these, a large painted logo further obscuring what was inside. The upper storey held a balcony, the tables and chairs there alongside colorful flowers intertwined in the rail as decoration.

Inside, Prompto was surprised at how dark it seemed, just from stepping in; natural light seemed to have been abandoned in favor of table-level mood lighting, carefully arranged for atmospheric purposes. It was slightly unlike anywhere that Prompto had ever been before; something about it all just seemed very _adult_ \- not least the bar to the side, lit up like the tables weren't. _An actual bar!_ Even at a distance, it was obvious that the number of bottles behind the single employee stood there were alcoholic. The air itself seemed to hold a tension, _this is definitely probably not somewhere I should be._

The bar took up the entirety of one wall and part of another, barstools placed at intervals alongside it. The other thing that drew the eye was what seemed to be a stage setup, in front of where the tables faced. The stage itself was as empty as the rest of the bar, but at the centre of its spotlight held the undeniable sight of a standing microphone.

"Um--..."

Ignis led the way to a table on the other side of the room; the seats against the wall were cushioned, and it was here that Prompto found Noctis - arms folded, a sulky expression on his face - and someone else who Prompto found vaguely familiar. _From those training photos, right?_ The light from the table highlighted the Crownsguard design on the front of his hoodie. Despite that, he seemed a lot more relaxed than Noctis was at that moment; he raised a hand in greeting on making eye contact, a large grin on his face.

"Hey, Iggy! And... Noct's friend, right? You made it over here, then?"

Ignis took one of the chairs opposite the couch seat; still unsure how to respond to Noctis's current mood, Prompto did the same, taking the chair next to him. "Uh, y-yeah--!... Um--..."

"Gladiolus Amicitia. If you're one of Noct's friends, then I guess you can call me Gladio."

"P-Prompto. Prompto Argentum."

"Good to meet you! How about this, huh?" Gladiolus clapped Noctis good-naturedly over the shoulder; Noctis moved slightly with the impact, but otherwise refused to respond. "We got the whole place to ourselves! Pretty fancy, right?"

"Uh, y-yeah--... um--..."

"Turns out there's a difference between a karaoke box and a karaoke bar. I guess it's easy to make that mistake when you're just flicking through things online, but it's pretty special to keep that up right through booking out the bar to yourself for the evening. Right?"

" _Gladio--_." From his tone alone, it seemed that Noctis had already had enough with the extent to which this mix-up amused Gladiolus.

"I'm not complaining--! Oi, Argentum. See this? This is the _power of royalty._ Yeah? Noct, you shoulda invited more people. You could probably get your whole class in here at once."

"It was a _mistake_ , okay!? Okay. So now we're all _very clear_ that _I made a mistake_ , maybe we can all just move on with our lives." For the first time since Prompto had arrived, Noctis turned to face him directly. He still kept his arms folded, but his expression was more openly apologetic. "Sorry about this. Did you want to go somewhere else? I don't--... know if you have to book those other places... when it's after school, people just turn up, right? So it's probably okay. Though they might also be busy, since it's the holidays..."

Prompto waved his hands, wondering if there was anything he could say or do to improve this situation for Noctis. "Oh, um--... I mean--... whatever you want to do...! Like, if you want to go somewhere else, then--... that's fine too..."

Gladiolus gave Noctis a firm nudge with his elbow. "Oh, come _on._ You just said it yourself, right? That all those places are gonna be busy. It's not just _your_ school, it's _all_ the schools. So you can go try and fight for space in one of those places, _or_ , we can just enjoy ourselves here. Sure know which one I'd choose."

Ignis was looking over the menu card as Gladiolus spoke. "I'd also hazard a guess that the meal choice would be more substantial here. Those places are mostly concerned with snacking food, aren't they...?"

Rubbing his hands together, Gladiolus looked to each of his three companions. "Right, sure, but I think we're forgetting the important thing here. Who's gonna be the first one to sing? 'Cause, y'know... that's why we're here, and all..."

Ignis glanced up, as if distracted. "If you're so enthusiastic about it, then perhaps it should be you?" He looked back towards the menu. "Show us all how it's done."

Ignoring Ignis's dry tone, Gladiolus leapt up from the table. "I thought you'd never ask--!"

 

\-----

 

The sky was already dark by the time the four of them emerged from the bar, and further still by the time Gladiolus had taken his turn home, and Ignis had also eventually separated for his own path. That left Prompto and Noctis with the last roads before their own respective subway lines, still bright with the city's night illumination.

"... I said it before, but--... sorry, again, for all that. It--... didn't really go to plan."

Prompto laughed, still buzzing with adrenaline. "It's fine--! It's really fine. That was so much fun. That was great! You enjoyed it too, right?"

Noctis couldn't help but grin. "... Yeah. Yeah, it was fun, wasn't it?"

"Who knew Ignis had such a set of pipes on him? I really wasn't expecting that."

"Right?" The memory still had Noctis somewhat bemused, and yet impressed. "I've known him all my life and I'd never heard him sing at all, let alone like _that_...! I guess it makes sense, though. He's always good at everything, or like--... he _makes sure_ he's good at everything. I dunno how he makes time for it all."

"You were good too, though--!"

"Yeah? Thanks." Noctis seemed as if he were trying to hide his smile, albeit unsuccessfully. "And you--! Making a big show of being nervous, and then knocking it out of the park. What even was that?!"

"Well, I _was_ nervous--! Until I got in there, it's not like anybody said there was going to be an actual _stage_ there--!... But since it was just you guys, it was fine. Gladio's a pretty good cheerleader, isn't he?"

"When I told him I was going to karaoke, he pretty much invited himself. I think he was more excited about it than any of us."

The familiar crossroads came into view; Prompto turned on his heel, still smiling. "So I guess this is where we go our separate ways, huh? But we'll have to do that again sometime. Right? We've still got, like, whole weeks left of the holiday. Gotta make the most of it, right?"

"Right...! And, uh--... I'll make sure it's a definitely a karaoke _box_ , next time."

"I don't know, having a whole bar to ourselves? Pretty cool, honestly."

"We'll do it _properly_ next time. Okay?" Noctis headed off in the direction of his own way home, waving. "I'll send you a message--!"

"Looking forward to it--!" Prompto waved in return, until Noctis was out of sight. He remained in place for a few moments longer, taking in the relative silence before turning around, then heading towards the train platform.

Thinking back over the day, Prompto was quite sure that that all probably fell under that banner of _making memories_. He was quite sure that Noctis wouldn't forget the time he accidentally booked them a bar, wouldn't forget every failed attempt Gladiolus had made to persuade Ignis into buying alcohol, wouldn't forget the songs they'd sung together... it had really been fun.

Pulling out his camera, Prompto had wanted to wait until getting home to check through the photographs he'd taken that day, but on thinking about it, couldn't quite bring himself to wait. He'd had to adjust for the low lighting inside the bar, but the stage area itself had been otherwise brightly-lit. He still felt somewhat nervous, bringing his camera out in front of Noctis, but it felt that he'd already accepted it as that thing that Prompto just _did_ , and so if he'd minded having his photo taken on-stage, he hadn't said anything about it.

Noctis on the stage, caught up in the song he'd chosen. Noctis as the song finished, the last notes playing over his triumphant expression. Noctis back at the table, smiling his retaliation at some comment that Gladiolus had made. Even in the moment, it had all felt like _something_ in particular - not least spending time with Noctis somewhere that wasn't their usual hangouts, but _there_ , in that unfamiliar environment, with its low lighting and expectant atmosphere--... Prompto wasn't sure how that all made him feel, only that he couldn't take his eyes off the photos that he'd taken. And remembering him on the stage...! He'd said 'good' because there was no other way he knew to express it, but that word in itself felt so far from being enough that it made Prompto frustrated just to think it. _Hearing Noct sing, that was--... that sure was something._ Prompto didn't know what that thing was, but it was definitely _something_.

Prompto wondered if Gladiolus and Ignis would be present, next time. _Probably._ Maybe that was okay. To think of all of that, and how it might have been if they'd been as alone together as Prompto had first predicted--... even in his mind, he didn't know how to approach that thought. For the time being, they could laugh about their shared experience. _Next time--..._ next time would be, simply, the next time. Prompto didn't let himself think on it further than that.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Written for the FFFC June 2017 summer minibingo, for the prompt "photo trip" (the wildcard square).

_M.E 751 ~ eighth month_

 

 

As much as the sweet temptation of sleeping in and sleeping through the summer appealed, Prompto would find himself glancing out of his window feeling like he should be doing _more_. Vague thoughts and concepts would float around in his mind - _the first summer of highschool, right?_ He wasn't sure what, exactly, that meant, but the thought stuck in his mind and wouldn't let him go.

Days went by, and the temperature increased steadily; even while they'd still been at school, there had been days that had left the entire student body seeming sluggish and incapable. The hot weather was more bearable if you weren't expected to _do_ anything in it - trying to concentrate on lessons felt like almost too much, back then. The holiday brought respite - for a time, it was possible to step indoors and feel the difference to at least be out of the blazing sun, but cloudless days and mellow nights brought the desire for cold showers in the morning, cold drinks, days spent in front of the electric fan. It was easy to get used to such things, too - the still air of Prompto's neighborhood felt stuffy and frustrating, the sun practically relentless.

During those days, Prompto wondered what it was like at Noctis's apartment. Most of their afterschool time spent together had ended with them making their respective way home, but he had been inside that fancy building a couple of times before the holiday. Those buildings weren't all that old, were they? From what he'd seen (and what he hadn't), Prompto imagined that they were fitted with all of the technological trinkets that made life that bit _better_. He'd turn up the dial on the downstairs air conditioning unit, pressing the button fruitlessly and wondering if that was _really_ as low as the temperature would go. The one in his bedroom had suffered from similar problems - even the previous summer, he'd remembered thinking _I should really do something about this_. Had it really been a whole year since then? _Who do you call on to fix something like that, anyway?_

He found himself dreaming of what he imagined was the perfect air conditioning of Noctis's apartment, wondering if it were possible to draft up some excuse to laze around _there_ all day instead, for a change. Was the Citadel similar? Prompto couldn't imagine that the royal family wouldn't have access to, at the very least, effective thermostats throughout their living quarters. Maybe there was some sort of magic to take care of that? Prompto didn't really know how any of those things worked. Perhaps that was too flippant a use? During those days, Prompto wasn't sure that, if he had that sort of an ability, he wouldn't be using it for his own ends.

The television was full of adverts, the internet full of reports of _things_ and _experiences_. That new film, the prospective summer blockbuster. Open-air concerts. Summer fairs, fireworks displays. Those flashy broadcasts, _spend your summer in Altissia_. The overall messaged seemed to be _get out and do things--!_ but the fact of the matter was that it was just so _hot_ , and that movie did look good, but getting to the cinema meant catching the subway, meant getting out of the house--...

"Come _on_ , Prompto!"

Sitting up decisively on his couch, Prompto slapped his cheeks in an attempt for motivation. He felt quite conscious of the fact that he hadn't left the house for a couple of days, and that, probably, that wasn't a good thing. Even if it was just shopping, getting out of the house seemed like a good idea (although the thought of carrying shopping bags back, less so).

There was also the thought, _you should be taking photos._ Prompto was in possession of a number of albums documenting his past holidays - those memories had a habit of all bleeding into one, but looking back at the pictures helped spur his memories. Even if it was just something small, it still made him smile to remember; meeting a cat, spotting a bird's nest, meeting with some friendly neighbors, all of these things lay recorded. He had fewer pictures from school - taking pictures during class seemed like a bad idea, and outside of class could end in fractious situations. It was easy to take a picture containing someone by accident, and have them take objection to having been caught in such a way. At the same time, it was also easy to take pictures containing nobody at all, and to then be quizzed on why he'd want to do something like that. _If it's just pictures of buildings and trees, what's the point of that!?_ He never had answers to questions like that, but still felt that he was justified in doing so.

His most recent captures included pictures of Noctis, a move that felt so casual and so dizzying that Prompto still had to remind himself that that was a thing he could _do_. He'd worried about raising the subject at first, thinking that Noctis might also think that it was _weird_ \- but if he'd ever thought that, he'd never expressed it. He'd smile for the camera, pose for pictures, and didn't think anything strange of Prompto pulling his camera out in order to get a shot, regardless of wherever it was they happened to be. Prompto thought of all the times he'd seen King Regis on the television, in the papers - _when you're famous, you probably just get used to having your picture taken._ (Prompto would still look at the pictures taken during their karaoke trip, feeling strangely protective over them. They were just photos of Noctis, like any other, _but_ \--.)

Prompto had long since known that you didn't get good photos just sitting inside all day. Each summer was largely the same; he would sit around until doing so felt stifling, and then he'd go on his next photo-gathering adventure. (It felt grand to think of it like that, but in reality he'd never gone all _that_ far.) Living out of the city center, the sight of modest houses with trees and plants in and around their vicinity was more common. Prompto didn't know the types of flowers his neighbors grew, but often saw them being tended to, and appreciated the brightly-colored blooms when they appeared. Past photos showed the flower boxes of the house opposite in their full splendor - one year bursting into white, red and orange, this year with purple and yellow. The changes were small, but Prompto recorded all of them.

There was no better time than the present; Prompto quickly gathered the things he'd need for a day out into a backpack, and stepped out into the sunshine.

 

\-----

 

Prompto's house lay close to the nearest river, and he knew that it could be easy to spend the whole day there alone, if he didn't keep an eye on the time. There was something quite calming about watching the wide expanse of water; Prompto couldn't think of a time at which the riverbanks had ever been crowded, and as such, it was a pleasant and relatively quiet place to spend time. It wasn't unusual to find students there after school, standing on the edge and skimming stones across the water, but there was no reason for their presence now.

Sound would carry from the nearby park - it was relatively small, but the children's play equipment was popular at any time. If it was late enough, and the park was empty enough, Prompto would sometimes take himself to the swings, but only if there was no-one around to witness. Children were largely warned off from the river itself, although sometimes young families could be found admiring the scenery.

Going much further would lead to more built-up areas. The road crossing the river was flanked on either side by high-rise buildings, apartment blocks of a much older build than the type that Noctis lived in. They had been built for necessity, but still sat amongst neighborhoods of houses, something that almost seemed quaint and antiquated in the modern day. Living in city apartments meant being closer to school, to work opportunities, to shops and entertainment... but there was something calming about the outer suburbs, too. Even if it meant a longer ride to school in the mornings, Prompto always enjoyed coming back to the relative peace of his own neighborhood.

There was something comforting about the streets that never changed. The same houses, the same neighbors... Prompto knew how much he'd changed over the past decade, but the faces of the elderly neighbors who'd smile and wish him a good morning, those seemed to have been the same all along. Prompto knew he'd taken this path last year, too - and the year before that, and the year before that, still. He knew that if he looked back to his old albums, it was entirely possible that the same landmarks would be there, perhaps even from the same angles - but there was always something _slightly_ different, there, too. Maybe the trees would be in blossom, or maybe they'd gone over. Maybe last year he'd come by in the morning, with the bright and piercing sunlight, and could compare that to this year's afternoon haze. All of these small things marked life that continued, quietly. Prompto knew that there was maybe no reason to record these things, but to do so made him smile regardless.

For all that Insomnia's urban sprawl only seemed to increase year on year, there were still parts that lay covered by forest. Being on the very outskirts of the city, and with little to attract people towards it, meant that it took a rather circuitous journey to get there. It was the kind of journey that could only really be attempted during a holiday - during those long days with sunlight stretching still into the night hours, where the high sun in the middle of the day took the most foreboding atmosphere out of the clusters of trees. Prompto knew that, really, he should have attempted this journey earlier in the day, or perhaps put it off until a day later on into the week, but he sat on the first leg of the subway journey with his bag on his lap and an unshakable excitement in his heart. It was the summer holiday! If he wanted to go off to Insomnia's outskirts on a whim, there was no reason not to! If he came back late, there would be no repercussion other than the possibility of waking up past lunchtime on the morning after. It was almost unbearably hot on the train, but that was part of it too - _all part of the summer experience._

It was as Prompto was changing at his first stop that he realized he had a mail; from Noctis, because who else would it be from? He took a seat at the platform and took a look at what Noctis had to say.

" _are you busy today?_ "

" _gonna take some photos!_ "

" _did you want to come to mine? I have a day off. I thought we could go to the arcade._ "

Prompto stared at that message for a few moments, wishing that Noctis would decide these things with enough time and enough notice for plans to be made. It wasn't that he _couldn't_ turn around and take the next train into the city centre, but the part of him that felt determined felt that he couldn't stop his journey, not _now_.

" _I'm in the middle of an adventure! by which I mean, I've got to get a lot of trains._ "

" _where are you going?_ "

Pulling up a map of Insomnia, Prompto took a screenshot of its far corner and sent it through to Noctis. " _here!_ "

" _what are you going there for?!?_ "

" _photos! like I said! it's a summer adventure!_ "

There followed a lengthy pause after that exchange, and then the next train approached; Prompto wondered if he should have explained further, but the train, in that moment, took priority.

At the station that followed, Prompto saw that Noctis had responded: " _where are you now? I'll join you._ "

" _what?! you don't have to! I'm kinda in the middle of nowhere..._ "

" _I already started taking trains, you can't stop me._ "

" _guess not!_ " Prompto checked just how far away he was from his destination, then sending that information through to Noctis too. There was the possibility that it wouldn't take Noctis as long to reach the outskirts as it did for Prompto - living in the outer suburbs to begin with, he had to travel quite a way into the outer ring of the city before heading back outward, due to the layout of the transport system. Noctis, on the other hand, could likely take one or two stops to where the outward train went from, and then just head out from there - _if he doesn't get lost_ , Prompto thought. He'd never attempted the journey from the city himself, but supposed it possible that it would need fewer stops... perhaps? He suddenly felt responsible for all of the possibilities that could happen, despite his overall sense that it would probably be _fine_.

Would he bring Ignis? Prompto supposed that that would be fine, but also wasn't sure how he felt about that - not least that it seemed like it might be bothersome for him, following Noctis traipsing all across Insomnia on a second-hand whim. He didn't mind the thought of being joined by Noctis, but trying to explain and justify his hobby to someone that he wasn't all that close to sent a shot of unease through Prompto's thoughts. He was mostly sure that it wouldn't be a problem, but couldn't shake that thought from his mind as his journey continued.

The fifth stop was the last one before the train that would lead to the Insomnian outskirts. Checking the time on his phone, Prompto reckoned that he'd arrive by the early afternoon; that seemed good enough. That still gave him a good couple of hours to spend exploring the area before he'd have to start heading back; the ride taking several hours came secondary to the part where if he missed the last train back to the city, then he'd be stuck there for the night. Prompto wasn't sure what he'd do if that happened, especially with Noctis - and Ignis? - with him; best to make sure that he kept an eye on the time, and made that a possibility remain simply as a theoretical.

That last station was largely empty. Prompto always liked to note the way that the train stops got busier and busier as you headed in towards the city, and the certain stops at which most people departed, leaving the carriages strangely empty in their wake. Often, there was nobody at all waiting at the platform; this time, however, there was a single figure.

"Noct--!"

"Oh, you got here. Yo."

Prompto hadn't expected Noctis to be there before him, and the sight of him caught him momentarily off-guard. Part of him had wondered just how it was they were going to meet up - even considering that they were heading to the same place, the forests were _big_ and it seemed like it could be horrendously easy to lose track of another person there. Meeting on a train - or on a platform, as had happened - seemed like a good idea, but without knowing which train Noctis was taking, it was hard to match up their route on the fly. As it was, they didn't have to worry about any of that; Noctis simply raised his hand in greeting, as if this were as common a meeting as their journey to school each day.

"Uh--... were you--... waiting for a long time? I wasn't sure where we could meet, so, uh--..."

"I thought if you weren't gonna get off at this stop then it was just going to be the one here or here," Noctis pointed at the map he'd brought up on his phone's screen. "I thought I'd wait a while, and if you didn't turn up, I'd go on ahead and then send you a message, or something. Looks like I got lucky."

"Heh, that's pretty amazing. You--... sure you're okay with this?"

"Okay with what?"

"This! Coming out here, and everything. It's--... probably not going to be all that exciting, or anything. Like I said, I just wanted to take some photos."

Noctis glanced up at the digital display hanging over the platform, seemingly checking on the next train; another five minutes. "Right. I was gonna ask you about that."

Prompto took one of the seats next to Noctis, placing his bag down and kicking his feet out. "What about it?"

"You're always doing that."

"Taking photos? Yeah."

"Is it... fun?"

"I dunno, I think it is. It's cool to look back over the ones you've taken. I usually come up here every year - or the last couple of years I have, anyway. While it's still the summer holiday, I wanted to make sure I got a visit in! It's a whole lot different to just, like, taking pictures of the houses in my neighborhood, or the local cats. ...They're really cute, though. You can never have too many photos of cats."

"... I never really asked, but--... when you were a kid, you had that camera too, right?"

"Yep! Same one. It's really stuck in there, hasn't it? Always nice when these things are built to last."

"You've been taking photos for a long time, huh..."

Prompto laughed gently. "Like I said, it's nice to look back on old photos... they're probably not interesting at all to anybody else, but like... I can look back and see the time I took the photos of those kittens who live two streets away, and then I see them now, and they've got huge! And I can take a picture of them now, and look at them both, like, wow, they really changed, huh. I guess it's the same with everything. Even if it feels like nothing really changes, there's a load of little things that do. It's kinda nice to notice that."

"Listen to you, saying all these deep things."

"Just calling it how I see it--! You were the one who asked, weren't you?... It's the sort of thing that's kinda not easy to explain, though. I used to take more photos at school, when I was a kid, but people thought it was weird, so I didn't do it so much. Easier to take photos out of school, or when no-one's around." Prompto laughed, trying to hide the note of embarrassment in his voice. "... That was why I was kinda worried about asking you about it. Taking pictures, I mean. In case you thought it was weird, or something."

Noctis shrugged lightly. "What's weird about it? Photography, that's totally something that people are into. ...Maybe not people our age. But being really into a hobby, that's pretty cool. Especially when it's something kind of unusual."

Prompto couldn't help but blush, just _slightly_. "Heh heh, you think I'm cool?"

"I think _the hobby_ is cool, I don't know about you--!"

For that comment, Noctis got a friendly elbow-shove from Prompto; any further argument on the subject was put to one side due to the arrival of the train. Laughing, Noctis got up from his seat and ran to the open door, waving at Prompto to do the same.

As expected, the train carriage was practically empty, giving Prompto and Noctis pick of the seating. Noctis promptly lay down over two seats, looking for all the world as if he was about to take a nap then and there. Prompto wondered if there was any danger of that, but couldn't resist taking a quick snap of Noctis there like that, _just because_.

"So... no Ignis or Gladio here today, then?"

Noctis opened his eyes, and glanced to the side. "It's a day off. They don't follow me everywhere, you know."

"I was just thinking that it was kind of... unusual, huh."

"What is?"

"Spending time like this. I mean--... not like we don't at school, but--... going out on a trip like this is kinda different to just going to the arcade, isn't it?"

"I suppose it is a little different, isn't it?" Noctis closed his eyes, again.

"You gonna nap?"

"Maybe. How long's the journey?"

"About an hour?"

"Definitely, then. Wake me up when we get there."

"Will do."

Prompto wasn't sure if Noctis fell asleep immediately following that conversation, but it certainly seemed as if that were the case. As the train clattered its way to Insomnia's highest points, Prompto wondered just what it took to be able to sleep through a journey like _this_ \- maybe it could be considered a skill, somehow? Prompto wasn't sure, but if it was what Noctis was comfortable with, it probably didn't matter. He certainly seemed able to make the couch seat look a lot more comfortable than it felt.

Without really knowing why, Prompto's thoughts went back to a similar track as they'd been on before the karaoke attempt; the thought of being able to go on a trip with Noctis, _alone together_ , felt... special, somehow. In moments like these, it was easy to forget that he was the Crown Prince of Insomnia, being honed and trained to take charge of the kingdom someday--. Thinking about that possibility - that _certainty_ \- felt like something out of a picturebook. Even the thought of _someone not King Regis_ as ruling monarch seemed strange enough, let alone that it would be _Noctis_. To Prompto, these were the lazy days of the summer holiday, but to Noctis, this was just one day off he'd managed to get amongst many that were full of--... Prompto didn't even know. Extra study, probably. Physical training. _When does a king have to fight like that, anyway?_ Kingly things. _Princely_ things.

And yet, the two of them could go on a trip like this, Noctis could quietly nap like that, and it was like they were just two normal students and there was nothing unusual about this at all. Prompto kept his camera on-hand; there was some amusement to be taken from snapping Noctis's sleeping face, but there was something quite peaceful about it, too. If he was comfortable spending the rest of the journey asleep, then Prompto was comfortable letting him do so.

 

\-----

 

The primary reason anybody would have had to follow that subway line would have been to access the various industrial complexes that were scattered across Insomnia's green land. As such, the line terminated at a point surrounded by gray featureless buildings; during the peak employee travel time, those who usually traveled that route might have been surprised to see two teenage boys step off, but as it was, the carriage had only held one other passenger - he left in something of a rush, and barely seemed to have the time to even notice anybody else on the carriage, let alone comment on the likelihood (or otherwise) of them being there.

Noctis stretched his arms out, yawning loudly. "Man, that carriage was _too warm_. Gets so stuffy in those things."

"What would you know, you were asleep for all of it--!"

"That doesn't mean I don't feel the heat--!" Noctis yawned again, seemingly still adjusting to the fact that he was no longer asleep. "... Actually, it's kind of nice out here. Bit of a breeze."

"I know, right? Maybe it's 'cause we're higher up? Maybe that's just what the weather's doing today. I don't really know how all that works. Anyway - you ready to walk? 'Cause we've got some walking to do!"

"... Where are we going, anyway?"

"Definitely away from here. Unless you want to pull some poses in front of these super-interesting totally boring buildings?"

"I did kind of wonder why we were here."

"Closest point the subway links to. I've not been hiding some huge secret love for Insomnia's industry. Though I guess it's pretty important?" Prompto waved his hands up in the air, as if towards the buildings. "Yeah, industry--!"

"... Let's just get going, okay?"

The physical wall that held Insomnia within it was quite visible from many points across the city - Prompto was quite used to seeing the one that was closest to his home neighborhood. Prompto and Noctis walked past the industrial buildings, Prompto with his eye on a particular destination, Noctis seemingly taken by the nearby scenery. Beyond the buildings, trees were visible, but the nearest segment of the wall easily towered over even those.

"... I guess we're really close to the edge of the city, aren't we?"

"Yeah, it's pretty far out. Kinda makes it feel like something dangerous...! Like, we're here, and the wall is there, and like... a hop, step and a jump, and we could be _outside the city_! Like--" Prompto pulled out his phone, and brought up the same map from earlier. He scrolled to a particular point, "It's like, I probably spend most of my time around here, right? Going back and forth, here and there, home and school... but then, us right now?" He scrolled a couple of times, zooming out. "We're all the way over here! That's kind of why I like trips like these. There's nothing really out here, no reason to come here, but... isn't _that_ kind of worth it? Going somewhere you'd never normally go. Going somewhere _people_ never normally go! How many places are there like _that_ in the middle of the city?"

"Yeah, when you first sent me that map, I couldn't figure out why you'd come all the way out here. Still not sure I get it, to be honest."

"Hey, our day's just begun! You'll see." Prompto put one finger to his lips, as if indicating a secret, before continuing to head off towards his destination.

It took a short walk before they reached the first 'landmark' that Prompto wished to capture - the sight was quite obvious from a distance, once they'd cleared the industrial complex, but Prompto waited until they reached what was essentially the cliff edge before spreading his arms wide, indicating to the view.

"Yeah? How about that?"

Noctis had little verbal response to Prompto's triumphant question, but the extent to which the scene impressed him was visible on his expression. He almost looked confused, for a moment, words seeming inadequate in that moment. "I--... I never--... knew that this--... I've never been up this high before. This view, it's really--..."

Prompto was already setting up his camera in order to take full advantage of the view. "Right? And nobody would have any reason to come up here otherwise, but then you do, and there's just all of--... _this_! You gotta get it on a good day, too - we're definitely lucky. I've tried to pick my days specially in the past, but all it takes is some sudden cloud or rain or whatever, and then you can't see _anything_. Today's good, though. Gonna get some good photos today."

"But how did you--... why would you have ever come up here in the first place!?"

"First time I came here?" Prompto gave a light shrug. "Must be at least five years ago now. Maybe six? Anyway, we had some school project, like, document your summer holiday, something like that. ...Maybe it was longer ago than that, now I think about it. So after the first week or two I was getting bored of only having the same things to take snaps of every day, and I got thinking, what's the furthest I could go to get a good photo? Maybe I saw something on the television or something, I can't really remember what put the idea in my head, but you can get pretty far on a child discount ticket, let me tell you."

"So you just--... had an idea like that, and... _went_?"

"Yeah!"

"Didn't anybody--... try to stop you?"

Prompto stopped to consider the question for a moment, then shook his head. "Nope, don't think so. Had a couple of adults ask where I was going, but then I'd tell them, and I guess they thought it was pretty cute, or something. Just told me to be careful, and sent me on my way."

"... Huh. I'd never have been able to do something like that."

"No? Well, you're here now, right?"

"Y-yeah... yeah, you're right."

The landscape shots were perhaps similar to ones that Prompto had taken in the past, but that didn't matter; the view never stopped being stunning, and - despite having had no direct hand in it - Prompto felt quite proud of the fact that he was able to take his photos in such good weather, too. _And Noctis is here, too--_... His urge to get a unique shot outweighed the possible embarrassment that Prompto felt of potentially asking the question; to his surprise, Noctis needed little encouragement to pose for the camera. He even agreed to a selfie, Prompto's arm thrown across his shoulder while trying to get both their faces and as much of the background into the shot as possible. " _After all, this isn't somewhere you come to often, is it?_ "

As dramatic as that view was, it wasn't Prompto's only target; they walked, then, in the opposite direction, back beyond the industrial buildings and then further on, into the forests beyond. Prompto had enough giddy determination to take him through the dappled light without complaint, but after some time, Noctis sat himself abruptly onto a flat tree stump in their path, refusing to go further for that moment.

"Can you just--... wait up a bit--... just wanna rest--... for a bit--..." He let out a ragged breath. "You--... _do_ know where we're going...? Right...?"

Seeing Noctis's discomfort, Prompto returned from the short distance ahead that he'd covered before realizing that he was no longer being followed. He laughed gently, seating himself on the forest floor besides the stump. "We're just going around here, really. ...Mostly it's that you can sometimes see birds and animals here, ones you'd _totally_ never see in the city. Or even outside of it! You don't see much more than cats and dogs, where I live. I think I saw a fox, once, but I'm not totally sure. Forest animals are pretty shy though, so maybe we won't see anything. But if we stay still long enough, we just might...! You never know."

Leaning back on his hands, Noctis stared up to the forest canopy above; light still shone through, but it surprised him just how much the leaves blocked out most of the heat of the sun. "... Never been here before, either."

"Like I said before, though - why would you? There's nothing out here. Even those guys catching the line out to work aren't gonna come out this far, are they? It's really just-- _trees_. And more trees. And maybe a squirrel! And more trees. But it's something you don't get in the city, right? Even taking pictures of, like, the trees or whatever - that's pretty different, isn't it?"

"... If I could warp, I could get up to the top of those trees, easy."

"Huh?"

"It's a battle thing. You throw your weapon and you go _bvoom--_ to where you threw it. All the Kingsglaive can do it. Gladio keeps saying I should be able to, and we've been _trying_ , but it's--..." Noctis blushed lightly, glancing to the side. "It's not that easy."

"Yeah? Warping, right? Sounds pretty amazing to me...! I can't even imagine being able to do something like that."

"Well, I can't do it myself yet either, so..."

"But once you can, maybe you could go up to the top of the trees and get a photo for me? So long as you didn't drop the camera. Make sure you use the strap, okay?"

Noctis gave a breath of laughter. "I've been roped into this already, haven't I?... Yeah, sure. I'll get you a photo." He kept in position, staring up at the canopy - long enough that Prompto noticed, reaching up to nudge his leg.

"You see a squirrel?"

"No, sorry. I was just thinking--..."

"Mm?"

"... Doesn't matter."

"Maybe, but that doesn't mean you can't say it...!"

Despite Prompto's cheerful encouragement, Noctis still seemed hesitant. He sat up straight, looking back down towards the ground. "... Never really thought about Insomnia having this many trees. I must have--... _known_ it, I've seen maps, but... it just kind of reminded me, that's all. ...Of when I was a kid, I mean. ...I went to Tenebrae, and I remember thinking back then, that there were _so_ many trees... like some kind of, I don't know, _magical forest kingdom_ or something. Home of the Oracle, hidden by all those trees..."

"... That's all the way across the ocean, isn't it? Wow. I'd love to go there sometime. Bet it'd be amazing."

"Y-yeah. ...It's an occupied territory now, though."

"Right, right. Maybe not the best place to go on holiday."

"I--... was there when it was occupied. ...Maybe it was my fault."

Prompto opened his mouth to speak before the realization that this conversation had suddenly got a lot heavier than he'd expected dawned on him. Talking about _far away lands_ and _occupied territories_ \--... he suddenly wasn't sure he even really knew what that _meant_. Something to do with the Niflheim Empire? Something that Noctis seemed to be blaming himself for. Prompto knew he had no real footing on this subject, but decided that falling back on support was perhaps a good thing to do. "I'm--... sure it wasn't--! I mean, like... Niflheim, huh? Occupying all those territories... who even knows why, right?"

"Hm..."

( _Because Noct was there? Because he's a Prince of Lucis? Would they have been able to know he was there? Would they really have--... done whatever they did, because of him...?_ ) The lack of response made it difficult to know what to say, just as much as the subject matter itself. Wondering if a change of scene might help, Prompto stood up quickly, slapping his knees loudly as he did so.

"Right! We've rested for long enough. Still got a long way to go--!"

"What--... I thought you said we weren't really going anywhere...?"

"No, but there's still places I want to look at...! If we go far enough, we could probably even touch the wall. I've never gone that far myself, but, it's totally a thing we _could_ do...! You wanna go do that?"

"Uh--... I guess?"

"Right, then!"

They progressed further into the forest, Prompto saying anything that came into his head that wasn't _occupied territory_ and _Tenebrae_ \--. Noctis, still, gave little by way of reaction, but he did at least follow behind. At least, until a noise caused him to stop in his tracks; Prompto turned on his heel to hear it - the sound of Noctis's message tone.

"A message?"

Again, Noctis didn't respond to the question; having seemingly unlocked his phone, he simply stood and stared at it. Frowning lightly, he looked up to Prompto before back down at his phone again, giving no explanation.

"... Problem?"

"I've got--... a lot of missed calls. And messages."

Prompto pulled out his own phone, glancing down at the screen. _No messages._ "The reception is kind of patchy out here. Must be all the trees."

"Um--... we might have to--... go."

"Did something happen?" Without explaining himself any further, Noctis grabbed Prompto by the wrist and made to run off in the direction they'd first come from. "Wait--... Noct?! What's--... what's happening--?!"

"We gotta get back, before--"

"Before _what_?!"

Reaching an area of the forest with a view back towards the industrial complex gave some clue as to what precisely it was that Noctis was, perhaps, worried about. Initially, the only sound to reach them had been the distant noise of the city; now, the sound of vehicles was _very close_. They came to the forest entrance to find a surprising number of jet-black vehicles parked around the industrial buildings, with black-suited men talking imperceptibly on phones and through earpieces. Prompto didn't recognize any of them, until--

"Noct--!" On spotting the two of them emerge from the forest area, Ignis ran over. "What are you--... where did you--..." He paused, taking a deep breath. "What are you doing here?

"... I just felt like--... visiting the forest."

"Hm. And you?" Ignis turned his gaze towards Prompto, who startled slightly in response.

"Oh! Uh... I wanted to take photos...!"

"I... see." He didn't seem particularly convinced, but also in little mood to pursue the matter. Turning his attention back to Noctis, he placed one hand on his shoulder, speaking with a lowered voice. "I--... thought it might have been something like this. I did my best to cover for you. ...I regret to say that I'm not sure how successful I've been. I fear we both may be reprimanded for this."

" _Ignis--_..."

"I did my best, Noct. That's all you can ask of me."

Noctis sighed. "... I _know_. ...Thanks, Iggy. ...And sorry."

"I should leave the apologies until afterward, if I were you." Ignis made to accompany Noctis back towards the fleet of vehicles before apparently remembering Prompto's presence. "And what will you do?"

Everything seemed to be happening so quickly, Prompto wasn't sure _what_ to do. "Um... I'll--... catch the train back?... I guess?"

Ignis seemed to consider this for a moment, and then indicated that Prompto should follow. "Come along, Prompto."

"Oh, uh--... sure--..."

 

\-----

 

Compared to the journey up to Insomnia's edge, the car ride back was relatively quick - but Prompto found it difficult to concentrate on _that_ aspect of the journey. The car itself was very comfortable; Prompto recalled seeing Noctis dropped off at and picked up from school in similar vehicles, back when they were younger. The seats were nicely cushioned and the air conditioning was very effective, effortlessly taking off the worst of the summer heat. Even that came second to Prompto's considerations of the current situation; after some frantic conversation that Prompto hadn't been privy to, Noctis had got into one of the cars, which had then driven off (with several others following behind). Ignis, it seemed, had elected to accompany Prompto on his journey home; Prompto appreciated both being driven and not _only_ being in the company of an otherwise-silent Crownsguard member who took the wheel, but he wasn't comfortable enough in Ignis's presence to take that as any softer option, either. As such, the journey back to Prompto's house was largely silent, but for the sat-nav announcing the curves and corners that would take them to his home suburb.

It wasn't until they pulled up by his house and exited the car that Prompto dared to say anything; the Crownsguard member remained in the car, while Ignis made to accompany Prompto the short distance to his front door.

"It--... it wasn't Noct's fault--!"

"Oh? Could this be an admission of guilt?"

Prompto clutched the strap of his bag tightly, gathering strength by looking at the ground before he dared to look up and make eye contact with Ignis. "I was going to go and take photos--! I, I mean, that _is_ what we were doing--... I got a message from Noct, asking if I was busy today, so I said what I was doing, and before I knew it, he'd come to join me. He didn't say anything about--... about all of _this_ \--... but he only came out because he was following me...! So... I guess... it _is_ my fault...? I didn't know, though. I didn't know...!"

Ignis sighed. "Calm down, Prompto. You're hardly going to become a prisoner of the realm for something like this."

"... But Noct's gonna get into trouble, isn't he?"

"I'm sure it isn't hard to envisage why a theoretically missing prince might have the potential to become a national incident...? He didn't tell anybody where he was going. He didn't tell anybody that he _was_ going anywhere. As far as we were concerned, today was a day for indoor study..."

"And if he'd, like... gone to the game center, or somewhere like that...?"

"Then he would have been found during our initial sweep."

"... He said he had a day off."

"I suspect that wish was the mother of the thought, there. ...I still can't wrap my head around where you ended up, though. Neither of you are old enough to drive, so--... it must have taken you hours...!"

"Yeah... it takes a long time on the train. But it's worth it once you get there."

"Is this some sort of... teenage craze?"

Prompto brought out his camera, turning it on and going to the gallery. "I went out there to take photos, it's... kind of a yearly tradition. Summer's the best time for it. H-here, look." He turned the camera towards Ignis. "I got some good ones of Noct."

"... Very good. I'll admit, you certainly have a good eye for composition. And, on a personal note, I'd much rather that Noct was out chasing photo opportunities than--... well. I'm sure there are many other illicit situations that a pair of schoolboys could get themselves into. Hobby photography barely registers in comparison."

"And Noct--... won't get told off too bad, will he?... I feel bad..."

"It's out of my hands, I'm afraid. Likely I, too, will face some sort of consequence for not keeping a keener eye on his whereabouts. ...That's my own fault, though. If something _had_ happened, and it was found that I was the one who failed to report in a timely manner--..." Ignis shook his head. "Unthinkable. I can only be thankful that it was a matter of miscommunication, this time." He adjusted his glasses, then brought out his phone. "Could I have yours, for a moment?"

"Uh? Oh, uh, sure...?" Prompto handed his own phone over. Ignis held the two together momentarily, and then gave the phone back.

"There: my number. For the next time you take any unexpected excursions together."

"... There'll be a next time, then?"

"I can't imagine any reason why there wouldn't be. ...Provided he doesn't end up reported as missing again in the future."

Another call summoned Ignis back to the Citadel, and with little fanfare, the car was then gone from the street, and everything was quiet. Prompto stood outside his front door for a few moments longer, still trying to take on board all of the events that had just transpired - and then remembered that, regardless of anything else, he _had_ got some good photographs. That urge overtook all others, and he went upstairs to his laptop to immediately start sorting through them. It was while he was in the process of copying them over that his message tone went off; _Noct?_

" _sorry about today_ "

" _no, no, it was_

_fine!_

_it was... interesting! a lot of interesting things happened. you really have a busy life, don't you?_ "

" _it's easy to think you can get away with something right up until you get caught_ " Before Prompto had the chance to hit out a reply, another message came in. " _did you get home ok?_ "

" _yeah, ignis was with me. and some quiet guy driving._ _u?_ "

" _i might have to stay at the citadel for a while._

_maybe the rest of the holiday. the apartment is easier to get to school from though so i'll make that argument when the time comes._ "

" _bummer._ "

" _if you want to play my games i can probably send you the key or something_ "

" _:) :) :)"_

No reply was forthcoming after that, but Prompto didn't mind; from the sounds of things, it didn't seem as if Noctis was in _that_ much trouble - even if he had, effectively, been grounded.

A thought occurred; Prompto transferred over a picture from his camera to his phone, and then sent it to Noctis. One of the pictures of the two of them together, taken in front of the view of Insomnia.

" _nice_ " And then, a few seconds later, " _totally worth it._ "

That, in turn, made the experience worth it for Prompto - but there was no way to convert that feeling into words without it seeming _weird_ , so Prompto set the photo as his phone wallpaper, and let the conversation draw to a natural close.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Written for the FFFC June 2017 summer minibingo, for the prompt "barbeque".

_M.E 751 ~ eighth month_

 

 

" _party at mine. come on over!_ "

The first thing that Prompto thought, on receiving that message, was that whoever sent it must have got a wrong number. It wasn't from a number that his phone recognized, and besides, who did he know who was likely to _hold parties_ all of a sudden, let alone invite him...? Also, the fact that the message arrived at a time that any sane person, Prompto felt, would have called 'breakfast'. Maybe, at a push, 'brunch'. Regardless, it felt much too early in the day to be holding a _party_. Maybe that was just what things were like, if you were the sort of person who held parties. _Party o'clock, no matter what time it is._

The second message that came through only said " _oiiii prompto_ ", and came with a photo attached. Said photo seemed to be of... Gladiolus, was it? _Gladio._ A selfie of him and what appeared to be a considerable amount of packaged meat products; burgers, sausages, ribs...

" _gladio? is this a meat party. why are you holding a meat party_ "

" _it's a barbeque because it's summer! get here quick before you miss all the meat_ "

" _i don't know where you live_ "

" _ok hold tight. don't go anywhere._ "

Prompto wasn't sure how to respond to that message other than to do what it said; _where else am I going to go, anyway?_ Supposing that he had little else planned, he put his phone down and went back to his previous consideration; _videogame, or nap?_ It was almost precisely forty-five minutes after that message that, suddenly, the doorbell rang. On opening the door, Prompto found himself confronted by an exhausted-looking Noctis.

"Whoa, Noct! What's the rush?"

Noctis had his hands on his knees, regaining his breath. "Hurried--... to come get you--... ran for the subway--... just caught it--..."

"You wanna... come in, or something? Glass of water?" (Noctis gave a wordless thumbs-up; Prompto held the door open for him, and then went over to the kitchen to fulfill the request. Noctis, in the meantime, was bracing himself against the dining table.) "You could just sit on the couch if you wanted...?"

Gulping the water down, Noctis shook his head. "Nah-ah. No time. We're going to Gladio's."

"Oh right, yeah, I got those messages. Meat party!"

"I was over at his, and then he just suddenly told me to come get you. No warning! Just suddenly, hey, plot out a route between these two places you've never gone directly between before, that's _fine..._ "

"Seemed like you got here pretty quick, though?"

"Like... kinda? He didn't start cooking yet, so I think we're good. I want to say he's just teasing us and that he won't actually start cooking until we get there, but... I can't say that with total certainty, honestly." Noctis waved one hand around. "So grab your things already--! You've got things to grab, right? Camera and stuff?"

"What--... we're going right now?!"

"Obviously--!"

(Having grabbed together a few things into his bag, Prompto made sure to lock up properly before allowing himself to be dragged in the direction of the subway station.)

Somehow, without any warning, the summer holiday was slipping from its last weeks to its last _days_. In retrospect, Prompto wasn't sure what he'd spent a lot of that time doing - but the novelty of being able to do _nothing_ after what felt like concentrated months of _everything_ was potent, and as such, time slipped quietly away. To that end, he quite appreciated the sudden message from Gladiolus - after the photo trip, Prompto hadn't been too sure about inviting Noctis out to anything subsequently (or if he would even have been allowed to begin with). Despite _that_ , however, he was getting party invites, and even had Noctis suddenly show up on his doorstep. The heat of the sun carried into the stuffy sweatbox of the subway carriage, but they managed to grab seats next to one another, which privately felt like the most important thing.

"... So did he just wake up this morning and buy out the local supply of burgers, or what? It's been barbeque weather for, like, the whole summer, just seems kinda random to suddenly want to hold one _now_..."

"Probably because it's my birthday."

"Ah--huh!? Wait, what!? You never said anything--!"

Noctis blinked at Prompto's confusion. "Should I have? I mean, you're here now, aren't you?"

"B-but--... _yes_ , you've totally got to let people know these things! Man, and I haven't got you anything... what do you want? I'll try and get it--!"

"What? No, no, don't worry about that. ...It's not actually until the end of the month, but that's when it's all gonna be like, you know, official functions held at the Citadel, that kind of thing. So, Gladio said we should have a party today, just the four of us, where we don't have to get dressed up or meet with dignitaries or worry about using the wrong fork or whatever."

"... Yeah, I guess you being _you_ makes things like that kinda a big deal, huh." Prompto thought over the sentiment. "Just the four of us... you, me, Gladio and Ignis, right?" He laughed. "What, am I part of this group now, or something?"

"Well... yeah? You're my best friend, so I don't know why you'd think you wouldn't be?"

Prompto hoped that the sudden rush of _he said you're his best friend! You're his best friend! He said that! To you! Out loud!_ wasn't completely obvious on his face; there was something about Noctis's blunt nature that made things like that seem so _straightforward_ , and Prompto wasn't fully sure that he knew how to deal with that.

_He's inviting you to his pre-birthday birthday party because you're his best friend!_

"I mean... just the four of us? Like... there's no-one from school, or anything?"

"There's you, from school. Oh--..."

"Oh?"

"And Gladio's sister, Iris. She'll be there too. She's still a kid, though, so be patient with her. And his butler will be there too, I guess?"

"Yeah? That's cool. ...You sure Gladio didn't buy enough for like, sixteen people instead? Because that looked like a whole lot of food, even for six people..."

"I think Gladio runs under the assumption that it's better to have too much food than too little. ...Can't say I disagree with him there." Noctis tugged at his collar in a self-important manner. "It might still be a battle, you know. There'll be at least two meat connoisseurs there, so you should prepare for a fight...!"

There was just something about the smug note in Noctis's voice that Prompto couldn't help but laugh at; months into their friendship, he still couldn't quite predict which small and otherwise mundane detail Noctis would choose to take _totally_ seriously. Prompto couldn't believe that it would _really_ be a battle, not with _that_ amount of food, but regardless, Noctis seemed to feel quite strongly on the matter.

 

\-----

 

The first thing that had struck Prompto was just how _big_ the Amicitia household was. Given the family position as Shield of the King, Prompto supposed that it wasn't all that _surprising_ , but there was still a great level of difference between knowing that someone probably had a big house and visiting and being able to _see_ that big house. Not only that, but all of the houses in the neighborhood were of similar sizes, from what Prompto could tell. He wasn't sure what he'd do with that much space even if he had it, but there was something about even just the neighborhood itself that felt as if it were light years away from his own quiet suburb. They were greeted at the door by the Amicitia family butler - " _You may call me Jared,_ " he'd said to Prompto. _Not only is the house this huge, but they've got their own butler?!_

The house was big, and its garden felt like it was just as big again; Gladiolus raised a hand on their arrival, otherwise tending to the smoking barbeque; Ignis greeted them also, but seemed almost more focused on the state of the charcoal than Gladiolus was. (Following the arrival of the expected guests, Jared waited at a distance to the barbecue, in case his assistance was required.) There, too, was Iris, eager to greet Noctis, and curious about _Noct's friend._ Privately, Prompto was slightly relieved at how small and _normal_ she seemed; suddenly confronted with the concept of Gladiolus having a sister, he hadn't been able to shake thoughts of _what if she's as buff and rough and tough as he is?!..._ But she seemed, for all appearances, to be a sweet and well-mannered girl. _Whew._

"So how long have you been friends with Noct?"

Prompto sat with Iris at the garden table, protected from the worst of the heat by a sun parasol. Impatient for the meat to be cooked, she had produced frozen popsicles in the meantime; the perfect accompaniment for the summer weather.

"Oh, uh... well... since the start of this school year, I guess? I kinda... had spoken to him before that, but--... it wasn't really until this year that we, like, uh... clicked?"

"Yeah? That's pretty amazing! Noct talks about you so much, I thought for sure it must have been longer than that..."

Prompto glanced over to where Gladiolus was splitting his attention between the barbeque itself, and Noctis trying to place first dibs on each piece of uncooked meat he saw. "... Really? He talks about me that much?"

"Like, all the stuff you do together. It sounds like so much fun! Getting to hang out at the game center, going places after school..." Iris took on a mock-sulky expression. "I still have to be home immediately after school. Getting to do fun things with your friends sounds so much better."

_How cute._ "Yeah, well, if I had someone like Gladio worrying about me, I'd make sure I was home immediately too...! I bet he can be pretty scary when he wants to be."

"I've never been scared of him...?"

"It's not _you_ I'd be worried about--! Any friends of yours in the future, they better watch out. Especially any _boy_ friends."

Iris kicked her legs back and forth. "I don't think I need to worry about that."

"Oh? You've got it all sorted out, have you?"

She leant in across the table, as if imparting a secret; she put on a whisper, albeit one that was still quite audible. "I've already got _someone I like_ , so..." She gave a big wink. "Don't tell anyone, though...!"

There was something quite charming about being trusted with the innocent secrets of a child; Prompto smiled, "The secret's safe with me. Though I'm still not sure that makes your friends any safer from Gladio... maybe more the opposite..."

"So what's it like, being friends with Noct?" ( _I guess it's time to completely change the subject,_ Prompto thought.)

"Uh... well, it's pretty great...! I mean... you're friends with him too, right?"

"Yeah, but it's gotta be _different_ with you, right? You're like, in the same _school_ , you get to do all the same _things_..."

"I'm sure you've got loads of friends at school right now though, right? And you'll be able to hang with them, and it'll be great, and it'll be... just like that. I'm sure of it."

"Maybe I'll be able to hang with Noct too, someday?"

_Sure. Why not._ "Can't see why you wouldn't be...!"

Prompto realized that it was faintly ridiculous to feel outclassed by someone so much younger, but as Iris ran off to get the first burger from the barbeque, he couldn't help but be amazed at how forthright she seemed. Nobody said that kids of her age couldn't have crushes, or 'date', whatever that meant to them, but that Iris could say so _confidently_ that there was somebody that she had her eye on...! Prompto thought back to when he'd been that age, and how things like _that_ had been the furthest thing from his mind. It was probably different for Iris, though; chatty and confident, Prompto was sure that she had no problem attracting friends around her, and if there _was_ someone she liked, what reason could there be for them not to like her back? (Other than the threat of a potentially overprotective big brother, of course.)

Her question about Noctis stuck in Prompto's mind, too. It was an innocent question to ask, but to try to _answer_ just what it was 'like', to be friends with him - how could something like that even be verbalized? It was easy to say things like _it's fun to play videogames together_ and _I like going to fast food joints with him_ , but those just seemed so--... _mundane_ , in comparison. Especially given Noctis's own words on the journey there - he could say _best friend_ so casually...! What was it like to be friends with Noctis? Prompto wasn't sure. What was it like, being _best friends_ with Noctis? Prompto, still, couldn't say. Only that it felt, somehow, overwhelming - it was easy to go for lengths of time without contemplating it, and then he would be reminded of the fact over again - _I'm friends with Noct--!_ \- and those tense, nervous feelings would spring up once more.

Contemplating his current position, Prompto felt like he was in quite an impressive garden. Not least because of the space it afforded their barbeque, but to think that he was partaking in said barbeque with the _future King of Lucis_ , his royal advisor, the King's Shield, the younger sister of the King's Shield... _they're all pretty amazing people, aren't they...?_

"Oi, Prompto, if you want some of this then you need to get your butt on over here--!"

Shaken from his thoughts, Prompto consumed the last of his popsicle, and then made his way over to where the others were waiting.

 

\-----

 

As the afternoon wore on, the barbeque proved itself an easy success; for all that Gladiolus had wielded the tongs, he'd stepped aside to allow Ignis full rein (with his apparently endless fount of barbequing knowledge). There were buns for the burgers and sauces for the sausages, though Ignis's ploy of introducing grilled mushrooms hadn't quite landed (with Noctis, at least; Prompto thought they were pretty good). Iris seemed to have an endless array of popsicles in the freezer, and Gladiolus even produced a sizeable watermelon, to serve as pudding. Prompto, Ignis and Iris sat to the side as Gladiolus fielded a blindfolded Noctis, wielding a bat and ready to _strike_ \--... in theory. In practice, Gladiolus seemed to be having more fun guiding him in precisely the wrong directions, but that, still, was entertaining to watch.

Ignis had dispensed of his jacket, given the warm summer weather, which was about as casual as Prompto had ever seen him. "I wonder if we'll get as far as that watermelon today...?"

"Well... Gladio seems to be having fun, right?"

"I suppose that's something." Ignis leant back in his seat, turning to face Prompto directly. "... I'm happy that you came today, Prompto."

"Oh? Uh, well, uh--... wouldn't miss it for the world! Gotta have barbeque in the summer. ...Not that I've been to one before. But if you're gonna have one then it definitely has to be during summer, right?"

"I'm sure this must be quite the first experience...!" He took on a wistful expression. "I believe, when the King agreed on Noct's path of education, that he wished for Noct to make friends amongst his peers in an academic setting. He would speak of them perfectly cordially in years previous, but--... this is a first experience for us, too; the first time that Noct has brought a friend along, during summer, no less...!"

"Even if your guys did think I'd, like, kidnapped him that last time."

Ignis cleared his throat. " _Ahem_ , well, yes, discounting that--..." (Ignis pointedly ignored the look of curiosity that Iris gave him at that point.) "... It's quite heartening to see him form bonds with others beyond that which the Citadel offers him. Such things can only serve him well in the future."

Saying things like that felt so _important_ , and Prompto wasn't sure how he felt about any of it. He didn't disagree, in theory, but that such things would be due to _him_...? That felt entirely too strange. _So weird to think we're friends in the first place, let alone--... all of this..._

"Um--... Noct said that it was his birthday, coming up."

"That's right. At the end of the month."

"I didn't--... know. He only just said. Should I--... get something? Would I have to, uh, send it to the Citadel...?"

"I'd say your presence, here, is enough."

"... That's pretty much what he said, too."

"Well, then. I don't see what the issue is."

_I'm the present?!_

_Is that--... really good enough...?_

 

\-----

 

Suited and ready, Noctis waited for the signal that would mean _his attendance was required_. He sighed at the thought of it; so many officials, so many dignitaries... even the thought of trying to keep up anything like a smile for all that length of time felt exhausting, only moreso for knowing that he was standing on the edge of actually having to _do_ it. And there would be barely any rest between the day's events and his return to school; sometimes the way the days fell on the calendar would give him some respite, but seemingly not so for the current year.

Ignis entered the room, perfectly groomed and ready to accompany Noctis for his day of introductions. He looked over Noctis before they prepared to leave, checking his buttons and sweeping at his shoulders--... and then, before leaving, remembering something that had been given to him on his way to the Prince's chambers.

"Oh, Noct--... they handed this to me. It seems to be for you."

"Hm?" The item itself was an envelope; the front of it bore the designation " _Noctis Lucis Caelum - The Citadel - Insomnia_ ", but little else. The lack of a stamp, if not its vague address, hinted towards a hand delivery; Noctis turned it over in his hands, but the blank paper offered no further clues. Supposing there was nothing else he could do, he opened up the envelope, and pulled out the card waiting inside.

The card itself read _Happy Birthday!_ on the outside, with embossed symbols of celebration decorating it - flutes of champagne, slices of cake, balloons. The card itself felt thick to the touch, however; opening it to view the message inside caused an attached leaf of paper to fall forward and unfurl, concertina-like. Attached to the inside of the card were a number of photographs - each one of Noctis and Prompto, taken at arm's length at various times during their time together up to that point. Noctis gathered them together to look at them individually; photos taken at school, photos taken after school... ones more recent, from the time they'd visited the edge of Insomnia, from the barbeque that Gladiolus had held...

" _To Noct._

_Happy birthday! I hope you have a great birthday!_

_It made me really happy when you said I was your best friend. I hope it's okay that I think you're my best friend, too._

_See you at school!_

_\- Prompto ^^_ "

Noctis looked between the photos and the words several times, finding himself able only to state the obvious. "... It's from Prompto."

"Indeed. ...He did seem a little worried about your birthday, didn't he? Kept wondering if he should get you anything. I suppose this is the decision that he came to."

"... Yeah."

"Rather a sweet gesture. And some nice photographs of you smiling, too...! I'm afraid we really must be going, now, but if you leave those with me, then I'll be sure to find suitable framing for them all. The bedroom at your apartment could use a little decoration, couldn't it?"

Noctis handed the photos - and card, and envelope - over, but hesitantly. "Be--... careful with them."

"Of course." Ignis looked the photos over himself, noting the _ease_ in which Noctis seemed to be smiling in each one--... "After all, they are quite, quite precious."


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Written for the FFFC June 2017 summer minibingo, for the prompt "cruise".

_M.E 752 ~ seventh month_

 

 

 

It wasn't precisely that Prompto _meant_ to spend so much time at Noctis's apartment, but somehow, that just became the natural state of things. Noctis would have let Prompto borrow any videogame, but Prompto would just shrug, " _It's easier to play it here, right?_ "

The school year progressed, as it always did; the summer uniforms were put away once more, replaced by jackets and blazers. From late summer sunsets to the long nights of winter, the routine would go on and on. Schoolwork, homework, _exams_. The winter break. Snow in Insomnia. The first promise of spring flowers. The weather, once more, warming up. Going from being first-year students to second-year students - watching the third-years graduate, thinking on how soon that time would come for _them_. Seeing in the new first-years, remembering the sense of nervous promise that those days had held. And again, as important as any of those other milestones of the school year, came the summer holiday.

Just before the summer break, a new game came out; neither Noctis nor Prompto _meant_ to spend most of those first two weeks playing, but it _was_ summer, and the time was there to be used. At first, Prompto would go home, with the promise that he'd be back in the early morning for them to resume. This gently morphed into him bringing pajamas and a change of clothes, because if he woke up and he was right _there_ at the apartment, that was less time for Noctis to have to wait to resume the game.

The game finished, the routine continued. Prompto knew that a year ago - or for longer - he would have worried about spending so much time with Noctis, or with _anyone._ How could people spend so much time together and not run out of things to say!? Would it get boring, or awkward, or embarrassing? And yet, they could sit together, occupied by different things, with the silence feeling only _comfortable_. Noctis playing a game, Prompto reading magazines. Sometimes Prompto would mention something he'd read about, and that would fall into a conversation. Sometimes Noctis would pull off something _cool_ in the game world, and Prompto would watch, and congratulate him. And it was warm outside, but the air conditioning in the apartment kept everything pleasantly temperate; every once in a while they would agree that they just _had_ to leave the apartment, for groceries or lunch or just to stretch their legs, and the difference in temperature was always stark. (Food retrieved, they'd hurry back to the apartment and slump on the sofa - or just the floor - until they'd cooled down, and then their quiet activities would be resumed.)

Prompto found his eyes scanning an article on holiday destinations, though he was only half paying attention to the actual words. He was in no position to take a holiday and couldn't really think of anywhere he really wanted to go, not _really_ , but looking at the pictures stirred vague interest in his mind.

That issue, it seemed, had a special section dedicated to holidays in Altissia. It was only ever going to be destinations in Accordo; where was there in Lucis? _Lestallum, maybe. Galdin Quay._ There were packages available within Insomnia - going to see a theatre show, then staying at an upmarket hotel, other similar ventures. And Niflheim--... if it held any place appropriate for a holiday destination, then they were apparently beyond the scope of the general magazines found across Lucis.

Altissia was often featured on adverts across Insomnia, on billboards and on television - and in magazines, evidently. Prompto felt used to the sight of its waterways and gondolas without ever having been there, such was the coverage it got. _What would it be like to go there?_ Supposedly, the food was excellent - there was a page in the magazine dedicated to that alone, but Prompto still found himself unsure. _Does caviar really taste that good?_

"Hey, Noct."

"Mm?"

"You ever been to Altissia?"

"Nope."

"Huh. It's super-fancy-looking, so I thought you might have been."

"What's _that_ got to do with anything...?"

"You went to Tenebrae, didn't you? That's even further away than Altissia...!"

"That was--... different."

Prompto flipped a page in the magazine. "Looks like they're doing some sort of luxury cruise. Get a coach to Galdin Quay, then a ferry to Altissia. ...Doesn't actually take that long to get there, apparently? But, hey, look at this. There's all, like, restaurants and whatever on board... says here, they've even got four cinema screens! On a _boat_! That's wild. There's a spa, and all these weird-sounding massages... it goes all around the Accordo region before stopping in Altissia. That seems pretty convenient, right? You just get on a coach in Insomnia, and then, eventually, there you are at Altissia. Man. Wonder what that's like?"

"Hmmm..."

"Sound _more_ interested, why don't you--!" Prompto threw the magazine vaguely in Noctis's direction, but fell short of his target. "I can't even imagine going on a boat like that. I mean... when you think about it, Insomnia is in the middle of the ocean, isn't it? We're basically an island, but you never really think about it, because hey, got that big wall up every direction you look. I wonder what it would be like if you could, I don't know, climb up on top of the wall and look out, or something. See all that water. Must be pretty great. ...How did you get to Tenebrae, anyway? That must have been by boat, right?"

"I don't--... really remember."

" _Nooocccttt._ How could you not remember--! I bet you fell asleep. That'd be just like you."

"... Yeah. Sounds about right." Noctis put his controller to one side, game paused, and picked up the magazine. He turned to the pages that Prompto had been looking at, with the colorful spreads of Altissian landmarks. "I dunno how safe I'd feel going there. It looks nice, but it's still Niflheim territory, right?"

"I guess... can't be that bad if they're still advertising holidays there, though. But, yeah, if it's _you_ , maybe I'd worry more than, like, your average Lucian tourists. You should probably just stick to city staycations."

Noctis looked over the article for a few more moments. "You'd want to go on something like this?"

"Huh? Oh, nah, not really. It's just interesting to look at, isn't it? Think about all those places out there, wonder what they're like... but I'm gonna go out on a limb and say that something like that is pretty out of reach for your normal high school student. I know it might be hard to believe, but we don't all have that much cash to splash around--! I could go without the holiday, I'd be happy enough going on a boat. You ever been on a boat before? I've never been on a boat before." Prompto glanced over at the clock. "Hey, nearly lunchtime. Think we should go get some eats?... What I'm saying is, I want to go get some eats." (Noctis still seemed transfixed by the article.) " _Noct_."

"Oh? Huh?"

"Clock's tellin' me it's food time. My stomach agrees." Prompto got up from the couch and went over to where Noctis was sat, pulling at his arm. " _C'monnn._ "

"Okay, okay--!"

 

\-----

 

As much as Prompto liked to spend his summer lazing around Noctis's apartment, there came swathes of time in which that wasn't quite possible; he still had a strict timetable of summer study, as well as regular combat training alongside Gladiolus. During those times, there was little else that could be done other than to return home, and resume the routine of _sleep_ and _videogames_. The occasional trip out for photographs. Prompto got some shots he was quite proud of, but despite that, there was still the lightest voice of dissent at the back of his mind - _this would be better if Noct was here._ He tried to shake that thought; Noctis was busy, and that had never bothered him before, had it? The years of landscape photography, sunsets and trees and flowers and animals--

_And Noct, now. Sometimes even you and Noct--_

Prompto tried to keep his focus, taking photos around his neighborhood. It still felt safe to say that the summer holiday hadn't really started yet, not _really_. There'd be time for more photos with Noctis, Prompto was sure of it.

The first opportunity came as a knock on Prompto's front door, early one morning. A pause, and then the doorbell rang; Prompto hadn't been expecting anybody, but then he usually wasn't expecting anybody as a matter of course. So, to open the door and find Noctis stood there was surprise and not, both at once. Who else was it likely to be? On the other hand, they hadn't planned anything - Noctis hadn't even mentioned being freed of his summer responsibilities, yet.

"Noct! You didn't say you were gonna be free today." Prompto stood away from the doorstep, indicating towards the house interior. "Wanna come in?"

"Actually, I came to fetch you. ...You've not got anything else planned, have you? I--... I thought we could surprise you."

"You know me, empty schedule as far as the eye can see--!" Prompto paused, glancing around where Noctis stood; he seemed to be alone. "You say 'we'..."

"Yeah, Gladio and Ignis are waiting. You ready to go?"

"Uh--... I guess? Where are we going?"

"You'll see."

"Well, _that_ doesn't sounds ominous at all. Okay, okay, let me just grab my things--..."

The one notable feature of the suburb in which Prompto lived was that it was quite near to one of the rivers which wound its way through the lower levels of Insomnia. It was so normal a sight that Prompto barely even thought about that view, some mornings - but this, it seemed, was not set to be one of those occasions. He followed Noctis away from his house and down the streets that would lead to the wider road, and to the riverbanks; on reaching the top of the grass closest to the road, Noctis waved his hand - looking down at the river, this gesture was returned by Gladiolus, who was stood next to Ignis and--

"Noct, wait--"

"Mm?"

"Is that--..."

"A boat. You wanted to go on a boat, didn't you? We can't get to Altissia, but we can get to--..." Noctis stared off in the direction of the river, and shrugged. "--... We'll end up somewhere, right?"

Jogging down the grassy embankment and coming closer to the vessel, Prompto had mixed emotions. It certainly looked sturdy enough, if not a bit old, and _maybe_ too small for four people? In any other situation, Prompto wasn't sure it was something he'd _choose_ to travel in, but Noctis was stood to the side with his hands on his hips and such a _pleased_ expression on his face that Prompto couldn't help but smile in return.

"You... did this for me?"

"Yeah, well, I just thought, you know... maybe it'd be... fun? It's not like I spend all my time on boats, either. And you live right next to this river..."

"And we're just, like... _allowed_? 'Cause I've spent a lot of time walking next to this river and I'm pretty sure I've never seen a boat on it..."

Ignis stood nearby, his hands on his hips. "There are a number of rules and regulations, but nothing outright forbidding it. Admittedly, this is a fairly unusual stretch of water for such an activity... it isn't uncommon to see the Insomnian rowing team perfecting their process, albeit closer to the Citadel. I believe, too, there are numbers of kayaking groups? Although I can't say that it's something that I've dedicated my full attention to, I will admit."

"Probably most people don't got boats, either." Gladiolus was clad in a tanktop, stretching out his arms. "This one's my dad's. Just happened that Noct mentioned the boat thing, and I thought, hey, don't we have that old thing upturned in the garage that's literally been there for thirty years not doing anything?" He gave the nearest edge an enthusiastic nudge. "We checked it out, it's still all good. They really built these things to last, you know? Doesn't have a motor, but that's where _we_ come in." Reaching down into the boat itself, Gladiolus then produced two oars. He jabbed the end of one of them against the riverbank, as if staking his claim, and then shoved the other one against Noctis's chest. "Hope you're ready."

Noctis took the oar, glancing at it warily. "... This was the compromise. Still counts as physical training. ...I've not done this before, so don't blame me if we end up going in circles or something."

"Today is, strictly, one of Noct's training days." Ignis glanced up at the sky, shielding his eyes from the morning sunlight. "However, it's a nice enough day, and it doesn't hurt to indulge in a little change of scenery every once in a while."

 

\-----

 

There was a lot more to sailing - or, at least, to rowing - than Prompto realized he'd ever considered. Just as an observer, the initial push had been something of a make or break moment - for all that Gladiolus had talked about balance and weight distribution, he was still the one charged with pushing the boat away from the shore (and jumping into it afterwards); following that, too, had been some fractious moments of turning the boat in the right direction, and Noctis quickly having to grapple with the oar in order to get it in time with Gladiolus's movements. The river had looked calm enough from the bank, but that felt like a world away to suddenly be _on_ it in a boat they weren't _entirely_ in control of--... but the space of water was empty otherwise, and they had as much time as the summer day provided in order to get to grips with this new mode of transport.

Having settled from that initial peril, Prompto quickly found himself surprised at just how _different_ the scenery was; he was used to the river as much as he was the rest of the immediate surroundings of his neighborhood, but there was something quite mesmerizing in being able to view it from this new and unexpected angle. The difference between the shape of the rows of houses and the expanse of the distant wall towering above them felt even more pronounced from their lowered position, and it wasn't long before Prompto brought out his camera in order to capture the view. Part of him wondered, _is it safe to bring a camera on board something like this?_ However, it wasn't as if he'd _planned_ this, and as the boat traveled further along the curve of the river, he knew that he would have regretted it if he _hadn't_ brought his camera along.

He sat with Ignis at the front end of the boat, facing Gladiolus and Noctis; they had fallen into an easy rhythm that took them along at an agreeable pace, but Noctis remained silent largely through the force of exertion. Prompto didn't like to stare, but couldn't help his gaze drifting to the way that Noctis's body moved in order to maintain their speed; it was easy to forget about such things, but the amount of physical training that Noctis underwent - and had been, for as long as Prompto had known him - was not inconsiderable. He would glance, too, at Gladiolus - the results of all of _his_ training were easy to see. _He's not that much older than us though, is he? Wonder if Noct will look like that in a few years._

"... I feel kinda bad, leaving all the work to you..." Prompto chanced a smile towards Ignis. "Maybe we should take turns, or something?"

Gladiolus chuckled in response. "Don't sweat it. If Noct can't handle something like this, then I don't know what we've spent all this time trainin' for."

"I guess... I was the one who got talking about boats in the first place, though..."

Ignis leant back a little, watching as the boat approached, and then passed under, one of Insomnia's many bridges. "You were thinking of Altissia, were you not?"

"Just because it was in a magazine. Have, uh--... have you ever been?"

"I've not, no. Though by all accounts, it is meant to be a truly beautiful city - I've heard visits there described as practically life-changing experiences." He smiled, gently. "I wonder if that would really be the case. It certainly looks spectacular, though."

Prompto brought out his camera once more, to capture a snapshot of the bridge that they had passed. "Insomnia's pretty great too...! I'd never have thought of doing something like this. It's weird, like--... it's the buildings we're used to, but they look so different from down here...! Hey, that's the subway line, isn't it? Like, I've probably traveled over this river a thousand times, or even more than that...! And now we're down here, and it's just like..." Prompto suddenly felt conscious of the fact that he was rambling, and glanced down at his camera, instead. "... It's just really cool, that's all."

"There's certainly something to be said for a change in perspective. Don't you think, Noct? Quite a valuable experience, to be able to see the city differently."

"Mm _ng_."

"Make sure you take plenty of pictures, Prompto. I suspect our friend here may only be able to enjoy them in retrospect."

"Will do...!"

For as much as the journey seemed aimless, Prompto supposed he should have known that it wouldn't be, not _really_ ; Ignis produced a map from his bag, indicating to Prompto where it was that they currently were, and where it was they were heading towards. The lower central district of Insomnia was known for its riverside attractions, making it popular with those who pursued entertainment and the arts. The public parks along that route were also popular, both for their proximity to the city centre, as well as for the excellent views they gave; as such, Ignis had circled one in particular on the map, marking it as their eventual destination.

Given the weather, the park lay as full as could be expected; nonetheless, Ignis was still able to secure a spot, setting out the required elements for a picnic as Prompto and Noctis caught up, and Gladiolus remained behind long enough to moor the boat. Ignis smiled as Noctis approached. "So, how was your first day in charge of a craft?"

"... There are easier ways to travel."

"But isn't it that bit more satisfying, to know you've reached your goal under your own steam...?"

"The best kind of travel is the sort you can sleep during."

"... Of course." Ignis produced a flask, and set about pouring drinks for the group. He held one out for Noctis. "Here - you've earnt it."

"... Thanks."

Gladiolus approached at that point, running a wrist over his forehead and looking as radiant as Prompto had ever seen him. "Woo! Nothing like it, right? Gettin' back to the elements, knuckling down, carving a path... right?"

The rest of the group didn't quite match his enthusiasm, but Prompto punched the air in attempted excitement all the same. "Woo--!"

"Yeah, Prompto--! You've got the idea, don't you?"

" _Woo_ \--!"

The rest of the afternoon was spent at the park, laughing and eating and spending time together as casually as if they weren't essentially a royal entourage. Even Noctis was able to regain his stamina after a time, joking around with Gladio about their boating experience. After a time, however, something seemed to occur to Noctis; he excused himself, and Prompto watched as he walked away.

"What was that all about?"

"This park has many features to recommend it. Amongst others, I believe it known as a fairly productive fishing spot."

"Uh huh...?"

"Maybe you should follow after him. See what he's up to."

Prompto wasn't quite sure what the implication was there, but supposed there was no harm in doing so. "Sure, I guess...? Catch you later."

Indeed, as Prompto followed Noctis, he noticed signposts for the area marked as a fishing spot. For as much as the rest of the park was populated, it seemed that there were no other fishers there that afternoon. Further along, an information board showcased pictures of fish, seemingly the kind that were most commonly seen in the area. So too were there various numbers and statistics - the largest caught, the dates those records were recorded... (Noctis sat on the bank, unaware that he had been followed.) Few of the records meant much to Prompto, but he did note that most of their blurbs recommended fishing in the early morning, or the late evening. _Maybe that's why nobody else is here._

"So... whatcha doin'?"

Noctis jumped visibly on Prompto's question, turning around immediately on being addressed. "Prompto--! You--... you followed me."

"Well... yeah? You went off without saying anything. ...Ignis was all, this is a great area for fishing, and there's all these signs up here for fishing, so... were you... looking to do some fishing...?"

"It's... not really a 'cool' hobby, is it?"

"Huh?"

"Not like you hear anyone in class like, wow, I spent all holiday fishing! Caught a huge one this weekend! Can't believe the one that got away!--... Right?"

"... You're actually here to fish?"

" _Obviously_? Is it that weird?!"

Prompto sat down next to Noctis on the bank, leaning back against his hands and looking out towards the water. "Nah, I was just surprised, that's all. Everyone's got a hobby. And hey, you're not the one going all the way up and around Insomnia to get pictures of trees and whatever, right? We all got our own things going on. ...After today, I wonder if Gladio's gonna take up boating or something? He seemed pretty pumped about it."

"Yeah, that's the sort of thing he's into. He'll spring these questions on me, like, _hey Noct, what would you do if you had to survive in the wilderness for a week?_ and things like that. Man, I don't know--! But he's _super into it._ Probably the best answer would be to make sure you were stranded with Gladio to begin with, 'cause he's the one with all the solutions."

"Right? He seems like he'd be good in a pinch. That'd be a pretty big pinch to be in, though..." Prompto looked over at Noctis. "So, uh... you leave your fishing equipment with Ignis, or...?"

Noctis glanced around in a slightly furtive manner, only relaxing when he was sure that nobody in the vicinity was really paying attention to him. With a flick of the wrist, suddenly, a fishing rod appeared in Noctis's grasp.

" _Whoa--_! Noct, what--... what the hell was that?!"

"That's six months of having Gladio roll his eyes at me 'cause I can't warp-strike, but I _can_ do things like this. _You need to sort your priorities--!_... That kind of thing."

"You literally just made a fishing rod appear out of literal nowhere. _What the fuck._ "

"I guess I could try and explain it but I dunno if it'd make that much sense. It's all like, you know, visualizing things with your mind's eye... I guess."

"Is it, like... a royal thing?"

"It's a royal thing, yes."

"You're using the ancient power of kings to make fishing rods appear."

"Got a problem with that?"

"Hey man, I'm not the one you should be asking. They're _your_ ancestors, right?"

"Well, _I_ think they're fine with it."

"Good! You go on with your crazy self, fishing with thousands of years of royal magic behind you. You think they can help you catch a big one?"

"You'd think, right...?"

Like that, Prompto and Noctis whiled away the remnants of the day on the riverbank; if any fish were present, then it seemed that they were reluctant (which only made Noctis's glee all the more apparent when it seemed like something _was_ hooked). Even if, as the day proved, he didn't catch anything, there was a surprising amount of joy there in the fact that he _could_ have done. Prompto had seen Noctis fired up over videogames and similar things in the past, but never quite like _this_ ; he looked to Prompto with a smile of deep determination - " _Next time, I'll get the big one,_ " he promised. " _Next time, for sure--!_ "


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Written for the FFFC June 2017 summer minibingo, for the prompt "swimming pool".

_M.E 752 ~ seventh month_

 

 

 

One reason that Prompto found he enjoyed spending time at Noctis's apartment was that while he was there, he could be completely preoccupied by the mundane nature of it all. They'd sit and chat, they'd play videogames, maybe they'd go out to eat and then hit up the arcade - whatever felt like a good idea in the moment. So, too, did the general weight of _it's summer_ lend something new to Prompto's thoughts; the change of pace, the change of scenery, _room to breathe._

The latter was not, always, a good thing. Small thoughts that could be otherwise tamed - while in Noctis's presence, while snowed under with schoolwork, while other priorities fought for space in his mind - had the bad habit of _growing_ when there was nothing else there to distract him. A midsummer mood crash was undesirable; _you should be getting out there, Prompto! Making plans! Making memories! Doing things!_ (Maybe _one day_ spent mostly in bed couldn't hurt. One or two. Just to recharge.)

" _oi prompto. @ mine, asap. bring something you can swim in._ "

From beneath his covers, Prompto stared at the message; from Gladiolus, of course. As usual, it didn't do a great job of explaining why it was precisely he was summoning Prompto to the Amicitia manor to begin with, but that last line was implication enough. Prompto recalled the previous summer, the barbecue held in the garden - remembered a moment with Iris, noting the _swimming pool_ that they had in their garden. A _swimming pool!_ The concept was incredibly fancy, but at the time, it had been empty, with plastic sheeting pulled over it. Something to do with the filter, Iris had said; she didn't really understand it either, but supposedly Jared had had quite some difficulty in finding anybody to fix it in time for the previous summer, and certainly not in time for that barbeque. And then the seasons changed, and other things gained greater priority... but the combination of that knowledge and the message from Gladiolus said only one thing to Prompto: _the pool's been fixed...!_

Messages like that would come through so casually, so unexpectedly. Prompto wasn't sure if he'd spent enough time with Gladiolus and Ignis to really consider them as _friends_ , but between one thing and another, they seemed completely at-ease when it came to inviting him along to these out-of-nowhere events. _You're Noct's friend, so why wouldn't we?_ It had been almost a year since, but Prompto couldn't forget the way that Ignis had spoken to him, at the barbeque. How it seemed that, somehow, Prompto was the first schoolfriend Noctis had really had, to be able to invite to things, go to things with, _spend time with_. That, in itself, felt like a stranger amount of pressure.

_Why me?_

When he was in a good mood, Prompto would find it remarkable just how well everything had gone, from their first day of highschool onward. He'd thought about his approach a lot, in the days - weeks, months - leading up to him taking action, but in the time since, he felt very aware of how little of a _plan_ he'd had. _Go talk to him. Be friendly! Act casual, like a friend would. And then--..._ (There hadn't been anything penciled in under ' _and then..._ '.) Noctis was generally liked and admired within the student body, but the novelty of having _royalty_ in their midst had led to an atmosphere in which their peers seemed largely content to marvel at his presence, less so to actually _approach_ him. It wasn't until Prompto had spent time with him that he realized that, despite his outward confidence, Noctis had a streak of shyness that brought him a lot of confusion; their classmates didn't reach out to him as anything other than a novelty, and Noctis hadn't been sure how to do so in return. " _It wouldn't be cool, would it? Going up to those people after knowing them for so long, like, 'hey! Wanna be friends?!'. ...They'd just think I was weird._ "

" _That's basically what I did to you, you know._ "

" _Yeah, but that's--... different._ "

" _How's that different--?!_ "

" _It just--... is, okay...?_ "

In darker moods, Prompto felt helplessly like he was waiting for the inevitable downfall - for Noctis to realize that he could quite easily have other, better friends. For Noctis to realize that there were better ways he could spend his time, better people he could spend it with. For Noctis to discover that _hey, you know that Argentum kid? Came from Niflheim. I know, right? One of them--!_ Everything felt good in the present moment, whenever that moment happened to be, but any one realization amongst many had the potential to bring it all crashing down, and Prompto couldn't shake that thought from his mind. It seemed like a certainty, after all - everything up to that point had been going _too well_. There had to be a downside, surely...? Prompto hated that, sometimes, he'd think that the fact that Noctis had had no other real friends from their school was something of an advantage; Prompto knew that it was easy to _seem_ good when there was no direct comparison, and as such, had easily been able to slip into that role. And yet it was something that had clearly brought Noctis frustration over the years - _why the hell would something like that make you feel good about yourself, Prompto?! You're the worst._

_If he had other friends, he wouldn't need me, so--..._

They would joke, sometimes, about their relative levels of seclusion. It almost felt strange how much they had in common, in that respect - Prompto wouldn't have thought it to begin with, but their respective childhoods had left them absent of a lot of 'common' experiences that people their age seemed to take for granted. If it had been anybody else, Prompto wouldn't have admitted that he'd never been to karaoke, never been to a barbeque, never been to Insomnia's summer fair - but because it was Noctis, and _only_ because it was Noctis, Prompto knew that there was a fair chance of him responding with " _I've not done that either. Let's do it._ " Noctis never seemed surprised that Prompto didn't have these experiences, never questioned why that would be the case, only accepted the fact and then planned to take action. _That's so like him._

It almost felt as if it had been easier to have those misgivings in the early days of their friendship. Like there was still time for Noctis to realize he'd made a mistake, and back out if he needed to. More than a year on, Prompto was still waiting for that decision, and now it felt far too late. Time passing would only make it moreso. In those early days, it would have hurt, but maybe it could have been bearable - but it had been too long now, left Prompto enough room to get too attached. The certainty of some unknown future rejection coupled with the certainty that he had no idea how he would emotionally deal with the fallout to such an event left him mentally spinning his wheels, always looking for the loose thread that would, inevitably, pull everything apart.

_So, do your best, Prompto._ Against those feelings, he was sometimes able to summon a contrary sort of strength. He wasn't sure if it was the _right_ sort of strength, but he felt that he didn't have any other option. _Do as much as you can, as best as you can, so that when everything goes wrong, you can't say that you didn't do everything you could have done to prevent it._ It was still an invisible battle against an unknown opponent, but it was as much as he knew how to have.

_...but Gladio's invited you to his place, so there's no time to get caught up with all that just now._ It was easy for Prompto to sit on the edge of his bed, thoughts wandering, not actually getting anything _done_ \--... but the phone in his hand reminded him of the message, reminded him that - probably - the others were waiting for him. Waiting _on_ him. _Better not make them wait any longer._

 

\-----

 

It had been hot enough indoors, but heading out - and into the subway - only amplified the worst of it. There wasn't a cloud in the sky, and the force of the sun's rays felt practically relentless. The train journey to the section of the city that would lead Prompto to the Amicitia household wasn't _so_ long, but the amount of people and the lack of space and the _heat_ was enough to leave him feeling light-headed on departure. There was still the part of his thoughts that said _maybe I'm not in the right mood for this?_ , but also just as large a part that knew he couldn't really explain that to the others; Ignis, perhaps, would buy summer homework as an excuse, but it _was_ an excuse, and Prompto knew that the others would know that immediately.

The pull of _yes, but, Gladio's swimming pool though_ was, also, quite seductive. Would the water be cold? _They can probably control that._ Taking a few moments on one of the benches outside of the station, the thought of being able to submerge fully in cold water felt like _the most desirable thing on the planet_ at that moment in time. In turn, this made the prospect of the walk to the Amicitia manor even less enticing, but it was impossible to have one without the other. Steeling himself up for the promise of the reward at the end of the long and difficult straightforward walk, Prompto got up, and started walking.

On approaching the household, Prompto could hear what sounded like delighted yelling - _is that Iris?_ The sound of splashing, from the other side of the manor's walls, too. Prompto found himself let into the house by Jared, and couldn't help but notice just how cool even the indoors felt, in comparison - _they probably have air conditioning in here even if everyone's outside, huh._ Led indoors, he was informed that the others were waiting in the garden, and that he could change his clothes wherever he felt comfortable; he did so in the downstairs bathroom, taking a deep breath before closing the door behind him and heading out into the garden itself.

The sight that met his eyes was much as he'd expected; the squeals and laughter that carried into the outer neighborhood were from Gladiolus and Iris, who were currently occupied with hitting a large beachball to one another from either side of the pool. Sometimes the ball would miss, creating a haphazard splash - but that, if Iris's reactions were anything to go by, seemed to be half the fun. Ignis was sat on the edge, one foot in the water, and Noctis was leant against the far wall with his arms against the pool's edge, eyes closed. Ignis noticed Prompto's presence first, raising his hand in greeting.

"Prompto! Good morning. Good of you to join us." (On hearing Ignis's words, Noctis opened his eyes, and swam over to the closest edge as Prompto approached.)

"Hey, Prompto, got something to show you. Come look at this." He went to the poolside ladder, quickly pulling himself up and out.

"Come on, Noct, he's only just got here--"

Noctis grabbed Prompto's left wrist, seemingly leading him back towards the manor. "It won't take a moment--"

Indoors, Noctis led Prompto through to the kitchen area. (Prompto supposed it was probably okay for him to drip over everything as he went.) He took hold of the refrigerator's handle, and then turned to face Prompto with a triumphant grin. "I caught a fish."

"Oh? Oh! Cool! Congratulations." Prompto wasn't totally sure what this had to do with anything until Noctis opened the fridge, revealing the shelf that was practically dedicated to what was clearly the subject of Noctis's pride. It seemed to have been thoroughly prepared, with herbs and lemon slices placed in and around it at strategic points. The most notable aspect of it, however, was its size; Prompto couldn't think of many times that he'd even seen any fish in the wild, let alone one _that_ big. In that moment, he understood perfectly why Noctis would have been so proud to catch it. "... It's really big, dude. You actually caught that thing?"

"By myself."

"And did all this fancy stuff to it?"

"... Ignis helped with that. We're gonna eat it later. You... can stay, right? To eat with us?"

"Beats the Cup Noodle it was gonna be otherwise, honestly."

"Don't let Gladio hear you say that...! He might prefer the noodles, come to think of it. Maybe you could swap with him. All the more for us, right?" Noctis shot the fish another delighted glance before closing the door on it. "Biggest one I've managed to catch yet. Can't lie, I'm pretty proud of it."

"As you should be...! You're a real hunter-gatherer, you know that?"

"Right? Anyway, we need to get you into the pool."

Prompto rubbed his hands together. "I've been waiting for this--!"

The pool itself, as Prompto had hoped, was temperate enough to be comfortable while offering considerable comfort against the onslaught of the sun. _Must be nice, having something like this right in your back yard._ He sat as Noctis had previously, arms against the pool edge, looking up towards the clear blue sky. _Does the Citadel have anything like this?_ It was easy to think of the Citadel having anything a person might require, but it was, over everything else, still a building for the royal family and the ruling class of Lucis. There were training halls for the Crownsguard and the Kingsglaive, but swimming pools? Prompto couldn't decide if it was likely or if it wasn't. The first instinct, there, was to ask Noctis - but he had taken up a comfortable position once more, eyes closed--... Prompto reached up to his bag, which was by the poolside, and pulled out his camera. _Can't miss a chance to grab Noct's sleepy face._

"Hey, Noct--! Maybe don't fall asleep in the water?"

"Uh?" Noctis blinked himself awake. "I, I wasn't asleep. I was just--... resting my eyes."

"Of course, of course."

"... You sure it's okay to have that so close to the water?" Noctis indicated to the camera.

"Says it's splashproof. Don't really know what counts as a splash, though. So long as I don't drop it, right? Anyway, it's all good - I'm sure there are plenty of magazines across Lucis that would _love_ some casual poolside snaps of everyone's favorite Crown Prince..."

"Wait-- what?"

"You wanna say 'cheese'? Give 'em a smile?"

"Prompto--..." The _look_ that Noctis gave implied that he wasn't willing to push this joke very far. Prompto smiled in response, putting the camera back in his bag.

"Kidding, kidding. These ones are just for my personal collection." He thought about his choice of words, momentarily. "Is that any better? Maybe that kinda sounds worse. But so long as I've got anything to do with it, they're not going anywhere, I'll make sure of that...!"

"Hmm, so long as you do."

Prompto had meant it as a joke - and certainly had no intention of letting any news outlets have any of his private photos - but there was the part of him that didn't quite know what to do, in this situation. In any other situation, taking a casual picture of Noctis was no big deal, as was asking him for a pose, or for a picture of them together, or whatever Prompto's photographic whim desired. _Here_ , however, Prompto felt very aware of the amount of skin that was on display - and he hated that he couldn't shake it from his thoughts, because what was more normal than hanging around a swimming pool on a hot summer's day? _Good thing we didn't go to the public pool, can't move there for bikinis and swimming shorts._

Gladiolus was the most striking sight, but as usual, seemed to give it little mind. His casual wardrobe seemed to hold a lot of baggy clothes, hoodies and the like - as such, it was almost easy to forget, sometimes, the muscles beneath. There was no chance of that here; every move he made to catch the ball Iris threw at him seemed to show off his body in new and different ways. Watching the way that his arms moved to throw and catch the ball, as weightless as it was, still had Prompto amazed that Gladiolus wasn't _that_ much older than both him and Noctis. _What do you have to do to get a body like that?!_ (In comparison, the most eye-catching thing about Iris in this situation was the cute polka-dot one-piece she was wearing, complete with frilly decorative skirt. _Will she end up like Gladio, someday...?_ )

Ignis didn't have the same muscle mass as Gladiolus, but that wasn't to say that he was any less impressive. Even relaxing by the pool, everything about him seemed so lean, so poised, so _taut_. Prompto recalled Noctis mentioning that he'd placed greater importance in the need for physical training over the last couple of years, only intensifying following his formal initiation into the Crownsguard on his eighteenth birthday. He always seemed so controlled at all times - Prompto supposed that this applied, too, to the battlefield. _But when is he likely to going to have to fight, though...? I guess they need it just in case..._

For all that Gladiolus would tease Noctis for being scrawny, Prompto felt that there had been visible improvement in that area even over the past year. If it wasn't sneaking a glance at Noctis's arms in his summer school uniform, it was comparing photos of him a year ago to ones of him now; the different was subtle, perhaps, but still noticeable. Prompto wished he'd phrased his joke in a different way - if he'd worded it differently, then perhaps he could have got some poolside poses as an amusement to themselves, but it felt like it would be too strange to ask. He still kept his eye open, as he ever did, for good photo opportunities. It was understandable, after all, to want to capture the fun atmosphere of a fun day, spent amongst friends. (Prompto would focus the viewfinder on Noctis, the slope of his neck and the point at which his skin met the water--)

After a time, it was decided that it was time to head inside - there was a fish waiting to be cooked, after all, and they needed time to dry off and get ready beforehand. Jared produced enough towels for everybody, and the group dispersed to dry themselves and take their place for the evening meal. Ignis was the first to head to the kitchen, with Gladiolus following after him; Iris went upstairs to use her hairdryer, and Prompto was perched against the sofa arm drying his hair with a towel before he was the subject of a surprise attack from a laughing Noctis; the towel on his head was grabbed and rubbed haphazardly as he fell back against the couch - Noctis falling alongside him - and then rolled the short distance to the floor, finding himself lightly trapped by hands on his head _and legs pinning his hips down--_

" _Ha_ \--! Gonna give you towel hair, gonna get you looking weird--"

"Whoa--... _Noct--..._ what the--...!?" Managing to wrest the towel away from his face, Prompto was able to assess the situation fully. Indeed, as he'd suspected, Noctis had him straddled. Still in his swimming shorts, having not changed just yet. A triumphant look on his face, camera in hand. "Where did you--?!"

"All the times you've taken pictures of me sleeping, can't I get an embarrassing shot of you every once in a while...?" He turned the camera on, lined up the shot--... and then hesitated, his expression clouding with concern. "You okay? Your eyes are all wide. ...I was just joking around, it wasn't--..." Noctis turned the camera off. "I guess I overstepped the mark. Sorry."

The way in which Noctis had lowered the camera gave Prompto enough opportunity to move to take it, taking advantage of Noctis's hesitation to move up and around, effectively reversing their position; Prompto on all fours (or at least, three of the fours - he still held the camera), Noctis on the floor. Prompto leant back, making to turn the camera on, mind racing--

_Make a joke of it. You're going to take a silly photo of him. The tides have turned! He surprised you, now you've surprised him!_

_Say something--!_

Prompto was too aware of his heart pounding and how dry his throat suddenly felt, and Noctis now looking up at _him_ with confusion, still shirtless and _there beneath him_ and _you're holding the camera, you could take a photo, but-- is this--... weird?_ It felt weird. The silence was making it weirder. The way he couldn't look away from Noctis was _definitely_ making it weirder. _C'mon, Prompto, say literally anything right now--! Something funny. Something about his hair. Mess up his hair. Yeah, that'll do it--_... (His arm felt heavy as he reached towards Noctis, running his fingers into his hair and then _no this is definitely weird you have absolutely made this into the weirdest thing fuck fuck fuck--_ )

It was entirely possible that the movement Noctis made was not on purpose. There could have been any number of reasons for it - maybe his position was uncomfortable, maybe his leg was at an awkward angle, _something_ \- but regardless of intention, the shift of his body between Prompto's legs caused Prompto himself to jerk back all of a sudden, leaping away from Noctis and scrabbling against the couch to bring himself up to a standing position. _This is bad. This is bad._ (He quickly made to stand behind the couch.) "Ah-- hah... ha... you really got me there, Noct--!... Sure was a surprise, grabbing my camera like that--!"

Noctis sat up on the floor, running his own hand through his hair. "You sure you're okay? You're acting all... weird."

"Just joshin' with those japes, my friend--!"

"... Right." Noctis was in the process of picking himself up from the floor when Ignis stepped in from the direction of the kitchen.

"The meal will be--... Noct. You're not even dressed, yet?"

"I'm gettin' there."

"Well, please do. You've got twenty minutes. If you could go up and let Iris know...? And Prompto, maybe you'd like to help me set the table?"

"Ah--... sure! Just, just give me a moment. I just gotta--" Prompto indicated in the vague direction of the bathroom.

"... Of course. Come and get me when you're ready, and I'll show you to the cutlery."

 

\-----

 

For all intents and purposes, the rest of the afternoon had gone off without a hitch. The caught fish was more than enough to satisfy everyone at the table, and was cooked to perfection. The conversation had flowed naturally, and Prompto couldn't think back to another time that he'd had such an inviting and satisfying meal. Ignis drove Prompto back to his house, and Noctis had accompanied the two of them, waiting at the driveway to ensure that Prompto got home safely. All of this happened with no mention towards _what had happened beforehand--_... although, even to think that, Prompto wasn't sure he could put to words just what it had been that had happened, exactly. Any rational thought on the matter was swept aside by recollection of touch and feeling--...

_Go on. You might as well. You've already got one major secret reason for him to hate you, what's another gonna hurt?_

Once he was at home, Prompto knew that he was free of distraction, and away from interruption. Nothing to disturb his thoughts, and nothing to disturb his actions--... he lay on his bed, thumbing through the pictures taken that day, one hand on the camera and the other beneath the waistband of his underwear, stroking between his legs as he found himself helplessly drawn to the images of Noctis in front of him. Despite knowing himself alone in the house, he tried to stifle his moans nonetheless; part of him still fought against it, _you can't give in to this. You can't do this--! What would Noct think, if he knew--_

( _What if Noct--... like earlier--..._ )

Rational thought fell away as fantasy took over. Noctis, as he'd been that afternoon, but _purposeful._ Knowing exactly what he was doing. Knowing exactly what he was doing, and _why_. A situation where Prompto didn't jump away, and where Noctis wouldn't have wanted him to. Thinking of the small, accidental warmth in all of the places that their bodies had met--

"Hnn--... _nngh--..._ "

No manner of _trying to hold back_ was justifiable against _everything else_ , and Prompto knew it. He lay there afterward, image of Noctis still bright on his camera's screen, weighing up the possibilities in his exhausted mind. _Being from Niflheim, or jerking off over your best friend: which is worse?_

(Prompto sighed and buried his face in his pillow, hoping that he'd never have the chance to find out.)


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Written for the FFFC June 2017 summer minibingo, for the prompt "summer fair".

_M.E 752 ~ eighth month_

 

 

 

"... I can't believe you've never been to the Festival of the Old Wall. That's really disrespectful, you know."

Prompto hadn't quite anticipated that reaction from Noctis, but in the moment that followed his statement, felt that he understood it; _of course. They're your ancestors, right?... I guess I never really thought about it that hard before._

"Yeah, well, when I was a kid, it didn't occur to me to go - like, was I just gonna go on my own, or what? It just felt like one of those things you always see on television, you don't think of it as being, like, an actual thing that people actually go to. Then I got older, and it felt like, oh, if I was gonna go, I probably should have gone when I was a kid... you know? Like I missed my window of being able to enjoy it."

Noctis held his mildly reproving expression as Prompto explained himself and then for a few moments longer, before relaxing and pushing at Prompto's shoulder. "I'm kidding. It's not that serious." He reconsidered. "Well, it kind of is. But I get why you wouldn't have been. I haven't been to the street fairs in... twelve years, maybe? It's really been a while."

"What, you mean you're not down there every year, _mingling_ with the _commoners_?"

"The Citadel does its own thing, so I have to be there for that. Outside of that, I never quite--..." Noctis faltered. "Like you said. You see it on television, parents and children, groups of friends... Gladio goes with Iris, and he's often said that I should go with them, but I always felt that that'd be--... I don't know. Intruding, I suppose." He smiled gently. "Gladio always spends so much time with me, seems like Iris should get to spend some time with her big brother, right?"

"And Ignis...?"

"Same as me really, he's wrapped up in so much business at the Citadel, this time of year... I'd say 'I never thought to ask him', but that's not really true. More like--... you think he'd be into it?... I don't know. With so much else going on, I didn't want to pile more on him." Noctis looked conflicted. "... If he did want to go, do you think he'd ask?"

"Man, you know him better than I do...!"

"... Yeah, you're right." Again, Noctis fell into momentary hesitation. "Uh--... and you...?"

"Me what?"

"If you wanted to go, would you--..." Noctis leant back against the couch, closing his eyes and placing his hands on his knees. "Do you want to go to the Festival with me?"

Given the conversation up to that point, Prompto had had a feeling that it would all come down to that question - but he couldn't help but feel a small sense of accomplishment on being proved correct. He made a show of looking thoughtful, one finger to his lips. "Hm, well, let me see... I could be busy. Let me think... hm... yeah, I think I can manage that." (He couldn't keep up the pretence for too long,) "Of course I want to go--! Are you kidding? It's like, all you hear about for the whole second half of summer."

"... So why didn't we go last year?"

"Because a certain someone got _grounded_ , remember?... Though I guess it was still kinda my fault..."

"Oh, right, _that_. Yeah, that... kinda got in the way, didn't it. But we're good for this year--!... I say that, there are definitely days I can't make it. I'll check, and let you know when I'm good to go. So be ready--!"

"Anytime--!"

 

\-----

 

The Festival of the Old Wall was a long-standing tradition within Insomnia - formerly across Lucis, with the nationwide association generally dropped following the reduction of the King's protection from Lucis to Insomnia alone. It held a level of contention for this reason, although the full association with the Old Kings of Lucis had diluted somewhat slightly in favor of the personal family offerings left, and, of course, the week-long summer fair and the stalls and attractions that could be found there. With its sense of gratitude towards one's ancestors, it was largely touted as a family-based event, but groups of friends could also be found enjoying the sights and sounds - or, as in the case of Noctis and Prompto, pairs of friends.

Taking place during the evening, the city was lit up in the areas around the statues representing the Old Kings. An intrepid festival fanatic might have tried to visit all of the sites over the course of the week, but Noctis had little time free, and was content to choose the one closest to his apartment. Before setting out, Prompto had received a message - " _are you going to wear a summer robe?_ "

" _you think I have things like that just lying around? keeping it casual is a+ in my book!_ "

On reaching the Festival grounds, Prompto found himself surprised at the amount of people who had, in fact, turned out in their robes. Enough people had chosen not to that he didn't feel entirely out-of-place, but enough people _had_ that it still felt like something to be remarked upon.

"I guess people really like dressing for the occasion, right?"

"Can't beat tradition."

"Surprised you didn't wear one, though. You must have robes and suits for every occasion, surely?"

Noctis blushed lightly, glancing to the side. "W-well, you said you weren't gonna, so I didn't want to be the one wearing one by myself."

"Hmm... might have made for some good photos, though. Maybe next year."

Despite this, there were still plenty of photo opportunities across the festival site for Prompto to indulge in. It wasn't that he'd _intended_ to make it his mission to photograph Noctis with every sort of festival food they came across, but he did feel that he'd ended up with a lot of photos to that effect. The stalls, too, gave their own opportunities - Prompto supposed that, in retrospect, he should have been able to predict Noctis's skill when it came to goldfish scooping; Noctis was used enough to Prompto hovering with his camera that he was able to dedicate his full concentration to the game, which in turn led to a sequence of entertaining photos from where he _did_ finally make his move.

They walked in the general vicinity of the shooting range a few times before Noctis made the executive decision of actually giving it a go. He hadn't said anything, but seeing his eyes light up on seeing the prizes at the back seemed like the most obvious thing; Prompto didn't mention this, but couldn't help but smile. There were several rows of prizes, most of them plush toys of some description: Kenny Crow, Kelly Crow, Malboro-kun, other well-known children's cartoon characters... so too were there a series of large cat-shaped cushions, big enough to fit around one's shoulders, as a pillow, and it didn't take too much deduction to work out which one of those had caught Noctis's eye.

Noctis returned from the stall with the consolation keyring he'd got, spinning it around his finger before catching it in his hand. "... They don't make those things easy."

"I know, right? It's almost like they make it hard on purpose so people will keep coming back, or something."

"You think anybody ever gets the big ones?"

"I don't know... sometimes you'll see someone walking around with one so you think, they had to have got it somehow, you know? Maybe even _that's_ on purpose. Like... underground advertising! Or something. People see them walking around and wonder _oh, where can I get that from--!_... Maybe."

"... That seems pretty complicated."

"Works though, don't it?"

"I guess. Hey, Prompto, put out your hand."

"Hm?" Prompto did so, the questioning expression on his face remaining even as Noctis dropped the keychain into the palm of his hand. "Huh?"

"You can keep it. Thought you might like it."

The keychain itself was of a cartoon chocobo, raising its wing and giving a smile. Prompto looked between Noctis and the keyring, and then back up to Noctis again. "R-really!? Like--... it's _really_ okay?"

Noctis laughed, mildly taken aback by Prompto's reaction. "It's _really_ okay...! I didn't realize it was gonna be that exciting."

"It's so _cute_ , though--! Look at that little face--! Chocobos are great. How could anybody not like chocobos?! _You_ like chocobos, right, Noct?"

"Not as much as you do, apparently. But that's okay. You can enjoy them enough for the both of us."

(Prompto attached the keyring to a loop on his wallet, grinning all the while.)

Most of the rest of the evening was spent walking around, sampling the foods they hadn't yet tried, and occasionally trying their hands at further games. They were entertaining enough, but Prompto couldn't help looking back at the shooting gallery; on one of their return walks past it, he seemed to make up his mind. He pushed his bag to Noctis's chest, "I'm gonna give it a go."

"Huh? Oh, sure. Good luck."

Noctis watched from the side of the stall, with all of the casual intention of a friend left holding the bags. It didn't take longer than Prompto's first shot for him to turn his attention fully to the sight of Prompto with the airsoft gun; Prompto himself was too wrapped up in the activity to place any notice as to the _look_ that Noctis was giving him, too wrapped up to really notice anything in particular (other than himself, the gun, and the targets). That first shot landed perfectly, enough so to be impressive by itself - but again, and again, and again, enough to make it almost seem effortless. It would almost have seemed so, but for Noctis's own experience earlier - that alone seemed conclusive evidence of the difficulty of the game, but it appeared as if Prompto had no issue with any perceived difficulty level the stall-owner might have set up.

They walked from the stall afterwards, heads of other festival-goers trying to hide their stares - _he got one of the big ones? I didn't think you could even get those...!_ Prompto let out a satisfied sigh as they reached an area with benches set to each side, stretching out his arms to get a good look at his prize.

"I just got lucky, I guess?"

"What?! Don't give me that. It's like you'd been training for years for this moment, or something...! How'd you get so good?!"

Prompto shrugged. "Natural talent...? Everyone's gotta be good at something, right? Or maybe I've just spent my summers playing too many videogames, heh."

"The same videogames that _I_ play, don't forget--!"

"Yeah, well--" Prompto stood up, taking the black cat-shaped plush and draping it over Noctis's shoulders. "There you go."

"Huh?"

"For you. That's the one you were looking at, right?"

"Wait--... I can't accept this--"

"Why not? Now we're equal."

"I--... don't know about that..."

"Noct, c'mon. It's your birthday coming up soon, isn't it? Make it an early birthday present, from me."

Noctis took hold of the 'paws' on either side of his neck. "... You're really sure...?"

"I'm _so sure_ , dude." Prompto reached down to his bag, and lifted out his camera. "So long as I get a couple of choice snaps of you and your new friend. _Hidden scoop: the Prince has a softer side?!_... That sort of thing."

"Uh--... I mean--... sure, if--... that's what you want, I guess--..."

Prompto pressed the buttons on his camera, turning it on and readying it for the shot--... and then paused, seemingly surprised by something.

"What is it?"

"You... took photos of me, earlier?"

"Oh, while you were shooting? Y--... yeah. Shouldn't I have done? I just thought, you know, it's not like you were gonna get photos of that otherwise." Noctis glanced away slightly. "A-and you--... looked kind of cool."

Glancing up with surprise at Noctis's admission, Prompto looked back at the photos that he had taken; _I guess I was so wrapped up in the game I didn't even notice, huh?_ It wasn't as if he'd _never_ asked Noctis for a photo, but to see an 'action shot' so suddenly... it felt strange and interesting, both at once. "I... look kinda fierce, don't I?"

"Hey, you got really into it...! Score one for _cherished summer memories_ , right?"

"... You think I looked cool?"

Noctis folded his arms. "I already said that, didn't I!?"

"Heh... thanks, Noct. These are some pretty good photos."

"Well..." Noctis hesitated, his hands going back to the plush's paws, drawing it in further around himself. "... You're welcome."


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Written for the FFFC June 2017 summer minibingo, for the prompt "summer job".

_M.E 753 ~ seventh month_

 

 

 

"... I thought maybe we should get summer jobs."

Combined with the number of pamphlets and application forms that Noctis had spread across the table, the meaning of his words seemed quite evident. That didn't, however, make them any easier to actually _understand_.

"Noct, what--..!?"

Noctis remained unperturbed at Prompto's reaction. "Right? They're always saying in school, you know, _you need to be thinking about your future--_ and all of that, so, I thought, maybe, it could be a good idea. Right? ...So I went around and got hold of all of these. I thought we could look through them together." Something suddenly occurred. "Oh--... unless you don't want to? I guess I was saying 'we' without thinking about it. You could still help me look through these leaflets though, help me make a decision."

It wasn't hard, at least, to know where Noctis had got this idea from. Any concern that any student might have had regarding their life post-graduation was now dragged, kicking and screaming, to the fore; _will you be applying for a university? Which one? Make sure you have everything done before the entrance exams; that's your responsibility, after all. Will you be applying for a job? In which sector? Do your grades back that decision up?... Are you sure?_ Barely a day went by without a reminder, _you need to be thinking about this. You need to be making decisions. This is on your shoulders, now._

(If nothing else, if there was _one person_ in their school year that Prompto felt _wouldn't_ have to be concerned about those things, it would be Noctis.)

"Dude--... but why would you--... you're gonna be king someday, right? Out of anyone, surely you're the one person who doesn't have to do all of this--!"

Noctis glanced up from the leaflets, his expression unchanged. "Right." He leant back against the couch. "I just thought that--... maybe it would be a good experience, I don't know. We're third-years now, and then we'll graduate, and _then_ what?... If there's going to be any time for me to be accused of 'playing around', I'm gonna say that the third-year summer break is, probably, that time."

"Man..." Prompto sighed, but then smiled. "You're something else, you know that? Anyone else, 'playing around' would be drinking and parties and staying out all night--... and then there's you, where 'playing around' is, apparently, 'being a responsible adult'. Amazing."

"... You think it's a bad idea?"

"No, I think it's a great idea! A great idea that nobody else in our position actually wants to think about because _it's summer_ \--!"

"Maybe I should have been looking earlier than this... definitely probably should have been..." Noctis almost sounded as if he was talking to himself rather than addressing Prompto's comment. Groaning, Prompto turned to fall back horizontally against the curve of the couch.

" _Noccctttt._ It's fine. It'll be fine." He sat up, slapping his face before clenching his fists. "Okay! Okay, we're gonna do this. We're totally gonna do this. Yeah! We're gonna get back to school with some stories to tell those guidance counselors--! Hit me with the options." He reached out one hand towards Noctis, implying that he should hand over whichever of the pamphlets he thought Prompto should look at. Realizing that Prompto was now fully backing the plan, Noctis smiled as he handed the sheets of paper over.

 

\-----

 

It took until the first break period of the first day before Prompto felt that he had to step in. _If I don't, then it's just gonna be the manager, and then what?_

"Noct--... how to put this--... you really need to be smiling more."

Noctis removed his company-mandated hat, looking at Prompto with a slightly wounded brand of disbelief. "What?! I was smiling all that time--! I made very sure that I was smiling."

"Yeah, but--... I don't know if that's--... it's gotta be, you know, _peppy_! You heard them, you gotta say _thank you for your order--!_ and _really mean it_ , right? You gotta be _so happy_ that the fiftieth person today has given you their order. Like--..." Prompto grinned brightly. " _Thank you for your order--!_... Now you try."

" _Thank you for your order--!_ "

"I don't wanna say it, but it's a little--... scary, when you do that with your face..."

"What's wrong with my face?! I _was_ smiling--!"

"It's not just what you're doing with your mouth, you got that _look_ in your eyes, like--... just relax! Smile like you normally would, normally, like a normal person!..." Prompto reconsidered this. "Punch it up a bit. Like--... mm. Okay. People say 'cheese' when there's photos 'cause it makes them smile, right? _Eeeee!_ Try that."

"... _Eee... eee?_ "

"Now you're just looking at me like _I'm_ the weird one."

" _Eeeeee._ "

"It's--... it's all about the eyes! Right? When people talk about smiling with your eyes? That's totally, like, the difference between a creepy dead smile and the kind of smile we want so we don't get yelled at 'cause you're making weird faces at the customers."

Noctis sighed, looking crestfallen. "I didn't know I was so bad at smiling."

Prompto waved his hands around, "No--! I--... I didn't mean it like that. You've got a great smile! Radiant! It's just, uh... you're the kind of guy who only smiles when he's got something to smile about. Right?"

"... Isn't that everybody...?"

"Well, I mean--... putting on a smile, that's not always a bad thing, is it? Sometimes you gotta. Like, you probably never even thought about it before, all those people smiling at us when we've bought things before. But they all gotta do this! Every day! To everyone! Right? It's a skill! And, okay, maybe it isn't a skill that you've developed, but that's why we're here, right?" Prompto glanced up at the clock. "We still got a couple of minutes. Give me another smile - pretend I'm a customer...!"

" _Th--_ "

" _Eeee,_ remember--!"

" _Theenk yeee feer--_ "

"You're clenching your teeth too much--! Okay, start over--"

 

\-----

 

One of the reasons that Prompto and Noctis had landed on that particular establishment as one to pursue was its location; possible to reach on the subway in time, but far enough from their usual locality that _perhaps_ they could avoid some of their classmates otherwise. It wasn't guaranteed, but still felt like a better idea than choosing one of the fast food joints immediately off the main city center line.

The downside to this turned out to be the return journey home; the subway at rush hour was an obstacle at the best of times, but moreso with a largely unresponsive Noctis in tow. Prompto understood it; it was hard work - it was _work_ , after all - and they weren't used to it. It was a long time to spend on your feet, and to spend keeping up those bright smiles for the sake of the customers. Noctis was likely to fall into a nap at the best of times, but even Prompto felt exhausted, by the time it came for them to head back. Having - miraculously - managed to secure a pair of seats, Prompto kept his resolve and decided to worry about how it was he was going to get Noctis _off_ the train once that became an immediate issue, and not a moment before.

The train juddered, but Noctis did little more than move with it. Prompto gave him a nudge, to little further response.

"... You're that far gone, huh?" (The announcer spoke the name of the upcoming platform; _still a way to go._ )

It wasn't that Noctis had never fallen asleep on public transport before - far from it - and not even that he'd never ended up slumped with his head on Prompto's shoulder, but it was one of those things that never quite got any easier to deal with. _He's totally asleep. If it was you or some random member of the public, he'd probably end up doing the same thing. Better he does it to you and not someone unfamiliar, right?_

_don't lean back against him don't lean back against him don't lean back against him--_

Prompto would glance around, slightly nervous; was anybody looking at them? Did anybody care that that boy right there had fallen asleep on his friend's shoulder...? Likely it was a completely unremarkable event. It was rare to see any commuter who wasn't preoccupied with their phone or a book or magazine or whatever other world they'd brought along to get drawn into. The further the crowds were packed into the train, the less people seemed to want to acknowledge each other. _That's fine,_ Prompto thought. _That's totally fine._

(He still couldn't quite bring himself to lean back against Noctis in return, though.)

They survived the journey, and managed to make it to their home subway stop - or, at least, the one closest to Noctis's apartment. They'd agreed that it would be easier to get there and back from the apartment, and that Prompto could stay there overnight if he wanted; Prompto was glad that they'd made that agreement in advance, as he stood with Noctis, who seemed on the edge of slumber with every slow, measured blink he gave. Making sure that Noctis got home safely (without waking up suddenly at the end of the line, miles from where he needed to be) and _then_ heading out towards his own suburb felt as if it would have been too much to deal with.

"C'mon, Noct, you're not gonna fall asleep standing up, are you!?..."

"Mmmn..."

Prompto wondered how feasible it would be to attempt a piggyback. _If Gladio was here, it'd be easy._ In the end, he wrapped Noctis's arm around his shoulder, keeping hold of his wrist, and held him upright with an arm around his upper back. "This is just practice for when we start drinking, right? I'm sure this'll come in useful someday. Okay, off we go--...! Not far to go now..."

" _Hnn..._ "

Fortunately, the trip from the station to the apartment was largely on one level, and as such, did not require the haphazard navigation of staircases or any other awkward roadblocks. They made their way through the apartment corridors, up the elevator, and to the door without incident; something about their position seemed to kick in at that point, and Noctis did at least wake up just enough in order to unlock the door.

"Welcome home. So how was your first day...?"

Prompto startled slightly on being addressed without warning, but the figure in the doorway was familiar enough. "Oh! Ignis! You're here!"

"I thought, perhaps, the two of you might appreciate a meal - you've had a long day, after all."

"That's really kind of you--! Thanks!... Though, I don't--... know about Noct, though..."

"Just leave him on the sofa. He'll wake up when he's hungry enough."

 

\-----

 

The week progressing brought different duties to the two of them. Prompto remained at the front of the restaurant, with the manager having praised him for his sunny disposition on more than one occasion. An absent employee within the kitchen area led to a last-minute change of role for Noctis; Prompto wondered if that was the _only_ reason, but kept that thought to himself.

It remained tiring work, but learning the rhythms and the ropes of the organization led to Prompto feeling as if he'd become used to it, somewhat. _Maybe this is the sort of thing I could do once we graduate?_ He wondered about that, in the few quiet moments the job allowed him. Moreso for the fact that he knew that Noctis _wouldn't_ be thinking such things. _But you wanted to experience all of this anyway, right? That's... kind of admirable._

There came moments in which Prompto would have to retreat to the kitchen, to issue orders. He knew that time was of the essence, and he absolutely couldn't keep customers waiting - but just for a couple of seconds, he would wait by the door, knowing that Noctis couldn't see him.

In some ways, Prompto supposed that this was likely easier on him - no pressure to smile when you didn't have a front-facing job, after all. Instructions were called, and Noctis was amongst the group following them - without argument, without question, without any expectation for leniency based on _who he was_. In those moments, Prompto dearly wished he could snap a photo, but supposed that there was something to be treasured, too, about the moments that could only be committed to memory.

_You're doing good, aren't you?... Well, back to it--!_

 

\-----

 

The end of the week brought the end of their first work experience; payment in hand, even Noctis was able to stay awake for the amount of time it took them to travel back on the subway, and make their way back to his apartment. Even for something like that, there was something to be said for the finality of it all - handing back the uniform, the last time they'd have to take that subway journey, the last time they'd travel, exhausted, back to the apartment. So, too, was there something fulfilling about that feeling - that the work was complete, but it was still _summer_. This wasn't permanent - not _yet_ , at least. They'd dipped their toes into the water, and emerged victorious.

Noctis had laughed, as they'd stood in the elevator, heading back to his room. Prompto couldn't put a finger on why, exactly, but he only knew that he felt it too; some sense of giddy exhilaration, _we did it--!_ The doors opened on the appropriate floor, and they kept their composure along the hallway - _no disturbances in the corridors._ Opening the apartment's front door and closing it behind them felt like a popped cork - those responsibilities? Gone. Back on the other side of the door. No longer their concern. They laughed, still, practically falling over one another as they made their way through to the living room, and most importantly, the _couch._

" _Ah--..._ man! We _did it_ \--!"

" _Right_? We _totally_ did it! I had no idea getting home could feel so _good_."

"And you can even sleep in tomorrow--! Or spend all day sleeping, if that's what you feel like. Nothin' to do, nowhere to go - your time is your _own_ , my friend."

"You're--... staying here tonight, right?"

Prompto splayed his limbs across the couch, only _slightly_ in danger of sliding off. "You think I want to go out and ride the trains _now_? Because _that_ , I'm gonna have to tell you, is _not_ happening. Why, you want me outta here? Need some me-time?" (Noctis didn't respond to that verbally, only shuffling across the cushions until he was in close enough a proximity to fall against Prompto's lap, gazing up at him.) "Oh, you're looking for a pillow, is that it?"

Noctis, still, was only _staring_ at him. Enough so that Prompto wasn't sure how to react; he gave a nervous laugh, trying to fill the silence. Noctis picked himself up, then, pulling himself up by the back cushion of the couch, up against where Prompto sat, closing the distance between them. There came a brief moment of hesitation from both sides - but before Prompto could voice his concerns, Noctis had leant forward, silencing him with a kiss.

It took Prompto a few moments to realize that _this was actually happening_. That hadn't been the first time that Noctis had given him a look he hadn't been able to respond to, but certainly the first time that it had turned out like _this_. Prompto had always worried, in those moments, for almost exactly this reason; those times that Noctis had looked at him, as if _waiting_ for something--...? _He wouldn't be, though. It wouldn't be like that. He wouldn't want that. Why would he?_ Prompto had talked himself out of it so many times, knowing that whatever the reason for those moments, it certainly could never be _this._ (Every now and then, Noctis would do something that Prompto never would have expected; this was, he supposed, just another one of those times.)

Noctis pulled back slightly, lips parted, breathing heavier than before. Prompto stared at him - could do nothing _but_ stare at him. "Wh--... wha--..."

"No...?"

"N--... no! I mean--... not--... not _no_ , I mean, no, not _no_ , like--..."

"Then... 'yes'...?"

"Y-yeah, that's--... that's the one. 'Yes'. Good old 'yes'. What a useful word."

"You'll stay here tonight...?"

"Yeah, why wouldn't--" _Oh._ "--... You're--... you're _sure_?"

"I'm the one asking, aren't I...?"

Hesitantly, Prompto brought one hand up, fingers brushing against Noctis's cheek. Far from rejecting that touch, Noctis leant into it, then brought his own hand up to clasp against Prompto's fingers. Prompto wanted to ask, a thousand times, _are you sure? Are you sure that you're sure!?_ but couldn't turn away from Noctis's eyes, and his _very certain expression_. And there, again, was a kiss, which seemed suddenly to render the need for words unnecessary.


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Written for the FFFC June 2017 summer minibingo, for the prompt "summer love".

_M.E 753 ~ eighth month_

 

 

 

Even after so many years, Prompto still couldn't fathom the paradox that the summer break always seemed to offer. In any given year, those days would always seem to hold such promise - the endless stretch of those long and hot days, yet tempered by the fact that they were, always, finite. The same could have been said for anything, of course, but there was something about the context of _summer_ that made that prospect so much sweeter.

That pull felt even more desperate, now, in ways he wasn't even sure that he understood. Almost without warning, the Festival of the Old Wall rolled around again - _but it hardly feels like any time at all since the Festival last year--!_ And from then, inevitably, the short stretch of time that remained before the end of the holiday - _the end of summer_. It always felt so melodramatic to think of it in such terms, but again, this year was--... _different_.

Each charged silence was like a floodgate threatening to break. No other commitments, no other events to draw their time away--... sometimes, Ignis would visit. He would look towards Prompto with little surprise, " _Another visit?_ "

" _Oh, haha, yeah, you know_. _Can't keep me away...!_ "

In theory, Prompto knew how couples behaved with one another. In practice, he had no idea how your average couple on the street was able to show such restraint; it was sudden and it was overwhelming, like tunnel vision. He would wake in Noctis's bed, to find Noctis there - awake before him, even, which felt to Prompto as if this _must_ be something serious. They would wake, then, but remain there for as long as they needed. Prompto would go to the shower, and find himself followed. (He didn't mind.)

The summer offered enough space for as much as they wished to claim, but Prompto knew that they would have to come to control themselves, at _some_ point. Their days of leisure would end, and school would begin once more. Back to the responsibilities of third-year students - managing their schoolwork, maintaining their routine, never once taking their eyes off of the _future_.

_Is there room for this, there?_

_Is this--... allowed?_

A week before the Festival, Noctis brought out the summer robe he'd bought for him. " _I've not worn one of these before,_ " Prompto had said. " _Maybe we should get Ignis to help?_ "

Noctis had already begun to gather the fabric up and around Prompto's body. " _It's fine. I can do it._ "

Going to the Festival itself was almost like being undercover. There was no telling who had the possibility of being there - people from school, people from the Citadel, perhaps even Gladiolus, with Iris in tow - and no way to predict any possible public interest that could arise from, potentially, seeing the Crown Prince walking hand-in-hand with someone who seemed to be of _romantic interest_. The solution to that was as neutral as it was simple - and it wasn't as if they'd never walked around the Festival together before, but somehow that just made the atmosphere feel all the more heightened.

Nobody would notice the way that Noctis brushed his fingers against Prompto's own, handing him a caramel apple. Nobody would notice the way that Prompto would tug at Noctis's sleeve, rather than his hand, to attract his attention. Nobody would notice the way that Noctis would smile, telling Prompto there was something on him, then lean in to brush his fingers across what was exposed of Prompto's neck, that tantalizing contrast of where skin met cloth--

The main Festival path was busy, as was expected, but there were endless alleyways and landmarks that lay otherwise deserted in favor of the seasonal attractions. That specific area held tree-lined paths, as well as cultivated parkland beyond. The exposed grassland was a perfect vantage point to watch the fireworks that would conclude the Festival, but the night did its part in extending the shadows between the trees and providing areas of seclusion for those who wished to be secluded. The summer robes, too, were a surprising aid when it came to physical access under time pressure; it barely took anything to part them, and yet they could still be swept aside should cover be required, too.

Even with that in mind, Prompto wasn't sure if that would be enough to fully disguise their activities. The folds of the robe had the potential to hide a multitude of sins, but his mind was racing and his heart was racing and it would be obvious to anybody, surely--? _Nobody's walked by for all the time we've been here. It's okay. It's okay._ Noctis was pressed up and between his parted legs, moving his hand with the desperation of a person who knew that, for the sake of _everything_ , they couldn't be caught. He pressed his face in Prompto's shoulder, to where the robe had fallen away; kisses trailed until they almost turned to bites, sucking against Prompto's skin, leaving marks in his wake. (Only where the robe would cover.)

Prompto brought his wrist to his mouth in an effort to stifle any noises his mouth threatened to betray him with. This almost felt like an impossible situation; the impulse of desire had brought them here to begin with, but Prompto knew it wasn't something to be dealt with and then forgotten. Regardless of anything, it _didn't go away_. This would quell it, for a time, but _only_ for a time. The hunger was exhilarating, but at points, almost frightening; for all that he had felt for Noctis up to this point, his feelings seemed only to have become boundless. He brought his hands to Noctis's shoulders, holding him close and clutching fingers against his robe, then pressing his face against Noctis's neck in a further attempt to obscure his voice. Even physical touch felt secondary to the extent those harried thoughts were _everything_ \--...

Noctis gave little verbal explanation, but Prompto didn't need it. _You want this, right?... This is what you want?_ Each time Prompto made to touch Noctis, it was as if he was chancing a dare against himself. There never came any indication that those things were anything other than expressly, explicitly wanted, but Prompto would hesitate all the same. To let Noctis initiate meant that there could be no doubt to the situation, that this wasn't a mistake, that this wasn't a misunderstanding. _How long have you wanted this? Have you wanted this like I've wanted it? What is it, really, that you want?_

(It didn't matter. Regardless of what it was, Prompto was ready to give anything, should Noctis request it. Everything, if that was so desired.)

 

\-----

 

The fireworks were coordinated throughout Insomnia, with each site holding a statue of the Old Kings of Lucis set up for its own unique display. Having moved to the parkland area with plenty of time, Noctis and Prompto were able to secure their own spot beneath the night sky. The sound of fireworks elsewhere in the city acted as advanced warning; the festival-goers migrated from the main street to their own favored vantage points, with silence falling in preparation of the first firework of the region, as if the city itself was holding its breath.

Prompto was used to seeing those fireworks on television, but it was something else entirely to be able to witness them in person. (Despite that, he kept his glance towards Noctis when he could; there, too, was a photo opportunity - Noctis, his attention totally taken by the fireworks, the multicolored light playing across his enthralled expression--.) Light burst across the sky in carefully calculated patterns - _how do they even do that?_

His home neighborhood was some distance away from any of the city statues, but Prompto recalled hearing the fireworks, in his youth. He'd never even thought of going to the Festival by himself - that concept, simply, just hadn't occurred to him. He'd been content, back then, to ignore the immediacy, then catching the footage of it that would make it to the news the next day. They'd always _seemed_ flashy and exciting, but as if they were half the world away - somewhere that he just couldn't reach. _Isn't that how fireworks are meant to be, though?_

(They felt so close, now.)

 

\-----

 

"There's something kinda sad about the end of the Festival, isn't there?"

"You think? I hadn't really thought about it."

Prompto breathed a laugh. "You're so poetic, you know that, right?... But man, it barely seems like five minutes since last year's Festival, and now _this_ one's over..."

"And there'll be another one next year. Right? It'll come around just as quickly."

There was something refreshing about the forthright way Noctis could just _say_ something like that. It was the truth, after all - _of course there'll be next year's Festival. And the year after that, and the year after that..._

The area immediately around the park had been full of visitors for the Festival, as had the majority of the train ride back to Noctis's home station. Few others disembarked at that point, and those that did headed in the opposite direction. By the time the two of them approached the street that would lead them to the apartment, they found themselves alone once more.

"So... you wanna go again next year, then?"

"Why wouldn't I?"

"I mean--"

Noctis reached out, taking Prompto's hand. "You mean... what?"

"... Doesn't matter." Prompto smiled warmly. "I got it."


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Written for the FFFC June 2017 summer minibingo, for the prompt "last days of summer".

_M.E 753 ~ eighth month_

 

 

 

Without regard for anything, time had a habit of passing. Enough so that Prompto felt he was quite used to it, by this point; the summer of his eighteenth year drew to a close, as had each summer beforehand. And each summer had held that small moment of reflection, even in just the heavy realization of the lack of free time, the demands for completed summer homework--... (but this year wasn't like that, and Prompto knew it.)

Noctis was asleep on the couch, unaware of the thoughts that Prompto couldn't shake. Like many other evenings that summer (and before), Ignis was visiting, currently finishing up the last of the washing-up from their evening meal.

"... School again on Monday."

Ignis looked up, realizing that he was being spoken to. "Indeed. Are you fully prepared?"

"Think so. Just about got all my work done."

"Only 'just about'...?"

" _Mostly_. Just got to, you know, look it over. Come to a few conclusions. Draw together some arguments. Small things like that."

"Hm."

Watching as Ignis dried off the dishes, a thought suddenly occurred to Prompto. "Hey--... Ignis."

"What is it?"

"You--... didn't go to our school, did you? You're not that much older than us."

"Me? No. No, I've been under royal tutelage for as long as I can recall. To alter my academic path in such a way--... was never an option presented to me, nor one I think I would have chosen."

"... But it was fine for Noct, huh?"

"That was a decision made many years ago, by the King himself. That Noct should have the experience of an... 'everyday' school life." Having finished the washing and the drying, Ignis made his way over from the kitchen area, pulling out one of the dining table chairs before seating himself on it. "Of course, his education has been enhanced by additional study. Having access to such things, it only makes sense that he should take advantage of them."

"So it was just, like, a decision from the King? Like... if he hadn't said that, Noct would have just studied at the Citadel, instead...?"

"Indeed."

Ignis could talk about it so easily, but those words held a certain enormity to Prompto's mind. Just one decision from the King, and--... _if he hadn't come to school, then we never would have met._ He thought back to the days in which he'd looked after Pryna, and the letter from Lady Lunafreya that had brought him such encouragement... but if Noctis hadn't been at his school, _then_ what could have been done? It had been hard enough to approach him with the situation being as it had been, let alone if he'd taken all of his study at the Citadel, far away from the schools attended by the rank and file of Insomnia's children.

Prompto was sure that whatever decisions King Regis came to, none of them were made lightly. He'd had his reasons, and Noctis had ended up going through the school system, as any normal student might have done. The fact that it could so easily have been completely different caught in Prompto's mind, all of a sudden.

_We might never have met._ That simple thought brought with it so many offshoots - so many things, small and otherwise, that wouldn't have come to pass. _Would you have made other friends?... Would I have done?_ _Would our paths have crossed, even slightly?_ It was easy to forget, sometimes, that Noctis was the Crown Prince of Lucis, and the level of responsibilities that that brought - especially in these long and lazy summer days, with whims such as _let's get a summer job_ and _let's go to the Festival_ broken apart only by videogame marathons and time spent at the city center's leisure spots together.

Prompto felt that it wasn't unusual for any third-year student to suddenly feel nostalgic, faced with the end of their time in highschool, but - _it's totally different for Noct, isn't it...? Even coming to school isn't something he would normally have done..._ Prompto looked to where Noctis still slept, comfortable and unaware of the conversation going on around him.

"Weird to think that if he hadn't, we wouldn't be here like this, huh?" _Would he even have had this apartment, in that case?_

"It is, indeed, true to say that some seemingly-small decisions can have surprisingly large consequences. That said, to try to fathom each one of them--... that way madness lies, I'd say. Certainly, things would have been different - but is that not the nature of all decisions? We are here only because of decisions that were made. We can speculate on what might have happened otherwise, but that is all. Try not to be too disheartened by mere thought experiments."

"... Yeah. I guess you're right." Prompto tried to put that line of thought to rest. In doing so, however, something else came to mind. "... So... did you get summer holidays...?"

"It is--... hardly a schedule that can be compared. The city school system has to accommodate for so many things, compared to the needs of any one pupil in particular. ...That isn't to say that I wouldn't have breaks, of course. I'm only human, after all."

The repetitive nature of the school year was almost a comfort in its routine; Prompto had been preoccupied to think that he was soon reaching a point at which he would no longer have access to that routine, but he had dedicated little thought to those that never knew that routine in the first place. The summer break offered freedom within a structure, a heightened appreciation for the free time _knowing_ that it would, soon, end--...

"Weird to think that it's, like... the last summer of my schooldays, though. This time next year, we'll have graduated--... man, I don't even want to think about it."

"Will it be all that different?"

"Huh?"

"Some of your circumstances will have changed, I agree. However... I suspect that we might find ourselves, this time next year, still in much the same position as we are now. I'm sure Noct is in no hurry to give up this apartment. You'll still visit, as shall I. In those respects, I would hazard a guess that you have no reason to fear change; not for the immediate time being, certainly."

Prompto still watched Noctis's sleeping form. "And--... when he--... um--..."

"... It is likely that things shall change in the future. Certain, even. Of course, I wish King Regis many healthy and happy years ahead of us--... but, one day, we shall have to embrace the changes thrust upon us. There will be little else for us to do."

"Guess I need to enjoy the time I have with Noct now, while I still can, right?"

"How do you mean?"

"What, you think he's gonna have time to hang out with _base commoners_ when he's King?"

"I hardly believe that the cost of his duty would be the outright severance of his friendships. ...I should certainly hope that not to be the case, at least. Do you really think that he would allow that to happen?"

The thought of being the friend of the Crown Prince was astounding enough, without even thinking about what it would be like when that became being a friend of the _King_. Moreso to consider those things while looking at said future King's sleeping face. "... Yeah, I guess not. Sorry, Ignis, I'm afraid you guys are stuck with me--!"

"Well... I'm sure there's far worse to be stuck with, wouldn't you say?"

"Thanks, I think...?"

"You're quite welcome."

Despite the significance to the date, the evening went by much the same as many others had done beforehand. Noctis awoke, eventually, in time for a particular television show. He watched that, while Prompto stared helplessly at the last of his summer homework; Ignis reaffirmed his position that it wouldn't aid Prompto any if he were to help (and then relented an hour later, gently coaxing Prompto into the direction of the correct answers). There would be the weekend, and then - school, once more. The shift to the winter uniforms. Winter itself. Spring, once more. _Graduation_. However, that all lay in the future. For the time being, summer still remained - and by the time it was over, there would be so much more to think about.

_And even after that, we'll still--..._

The night progressed, and Ignis took his leave of the apartment. Alone together, Noctis turned drowsy eyes towards Prompto. " _You're staying again tonight... right?_ "

(Prompto knew that, at some point, he would have to go back to his own house, resume sleeping in his own bed--... but not _yet_.

Like that, summer would surely continue.)


End file.
